The Gaang watch The Legend of KORRA
by Justice Tokidoki
Summary: In a strange series of events Aang, Zuko, and the rest of the gaang are subjected to the horrors of fangirls, commercials, shipping, and ultimately...reality. It all started with one show. Post Series
1. The stupid TV that fell from the sky

**{Aang} **

_**Sometimes, I wonder how our lives would have been if we had stayed oblivious. Kept to ourselves, not let our curiosities get us caught up in what should have been kept in the future.**_

_**When we focus on the present, we can move forward with dignity and pride. But now…now we know the truth…**_

_**And…perhaps that was the biggest mistake the universes ever made, that little 'truth sets you free' crap…**_

_**Well, the 'truth' is that some things are better left unknown.**_

_**And how did this craziness start, you ask? How did I get so caught up in finding the truth, waiting for the blissful innocence to shatter away and turn into bitter well-fought wisdom?**_

_**Do you really want to know? If so, listen carefully because things are going to get weird…**_

_**This all started with a strange metal box that fell from the sky. I'm sure you all know what this box is. What do you call it…a TV? Yeah, I'll stop there before you guys start spouting milk out of your nose holes.**_

_**That does happen when you laugh and drink milk at the same time, right?**_

_**Whatever, I digress…this all begins with that fateful hunk of metal. Our lives would never be the same…**_

_**And now I'll shut up and let you guys read the story. Yeah, and quit laughing while you're at it! I haven't said anything yet!**_

_**Darn, why did we ever agree to make this a fanfiction? You will pay dearly for this, Zuko…**_

[Excerpt from AvatarOfWisDom784 profile, author of _Intermingled Affections_…]

**Chapter One: The stupid TV that fell from the sky**

Reasons for chapter title: _Pfft, it's straight forward enough. Don't want to give my readers a migraine with convoluted metaphors now…_

_Man, I don't really care. This was all Zuko's idea in the first place! Darn it! _

_Since when did being fire lord give a person the right to humiliate his friends? Ugh, not that they can do anything about it anyway…ah, I digress…_

_Let's just get this over with…_

It was a beautiful and inspiring day, filled to the brim with sunlight that set the sky aflame and an amazing set of waves that made any good natured citizen strive to become a waterbender.

That's right, wavy waves, sparkling sunlight…welcome to the awesome beach located a somewhat short distance from Zuko's old summer family home!

It was a very relaxing place, perfect for parties and other stuff teens do for fun. It was also a quality gym since we could all practice our bending and other fighting techniques there.

By 'we' I mean my friends Katara, Sokka, Toph, Suki, and Zuko. They're the main group of people I wouldn't mind risking my life for (which I have done…a number of times actually. Relax. I'm not a masochist…I think).

Since they're all important people in my life-and important to the plot of this story-I think you won't mind me giving a short description of each. Don't worry, it will only take a second. I promise!

Let's begin with Toph. Thirteen-year-old, self-proclaimed master of earthbending aka 'the greatest earthbender in the world' (her words, not mine). She's extremely stubborn and quite brave for someone of her age and background. She used to be rich, but I'm not saying anything else. She hates it when I bring up her past…

Next is Suki. Kyoshi warrior, excellent fighter with fans, Sokka's girlfriend…ugh, why am I doing this again?

You know what, I'll just explain who everyone is when they get into the picture? Capiche? Everyone happy?

Good, because I'm happy! Okay, now where was I…

Beach! Yes, I was walking along the sandy shores of that wonderful, wet paradise. I was feeling pretty hyped up!

I mean, just two months ago I had defeated the most powerful firebender in the entire world. Ozai.

And I defeated him in my own way, _without_ killing him. I'm very proud of the decision I made that day, regardless of what others think of the event. I defeated Ozai _without_ compromising myself. Never argue with me on this, it will get very personal if you do! Don't test me.

Anyway, I was also on cloud nine (I think I used that right…) because I had become a fully realized Avatar. Sure, there were still many things I could learn from my friends in regards to bending and keeping the world at peace.

But, heck, I was in control of the Avatar state! I defeated the Fire Lord at the age of twelve and ended the hundred year war.

It was a very powerful accomplishment. I would never forget the joy that permeated the air that day… and none of it would have been possible without the support of my loving friends…

So, there I was completely content with life, a fully realized Avatar, just a regular fella looking to practice some waterbending. Simple as that…

I would have invited Katara to come with me (my girlfriend, for those of you who don't know. I'm looking at you, Zutarians!) but I felt like practicing alone that day. Sometimes, it's nice to have time for yourself…especially when you're tasked with keeping balance between every nation in the world.

Well, this is when the universes decided to give me…okay, all of us crap! (But mainly me…).

I remember the feeling of dread that passed over me when I noticed something falling from the sky. It was like the meteor that Sokka had used to make his sword, but instead of blue fire it was sprouting black coals and dust. It looked like a dark flame of moth balls (I know, unpleasant imagery. I apologize…)

The thing nearly killed me! It landed right next to my foot, spraying sand in streams at my face and clothes (regular air nomad garments, nothing fancy…).

I was shocked and amazed. I had never seen anything like this 'box' before. Instead of listening to the foreboding feeling in my gut, I just _had_ to pick up the big rectangular hunk of metal and carry it back to Zuko's summer house.

It really is amazing how everything looks stupid in hindsight.

Anyway, I brought the heavy piece of metal to the house, being greeted by all my friends I mentioned earlier.

Zuko, or should I say Fire Lord Zuko, was reading a bunch of secret reports. Toph was playing with some rocks and trying to get my lemur, Momo, to catch them. Sokka was currently telling his girlfriend why it was important to keep a full supply of meat (of all things), and Katara was in the middle of preparing dinner.

Just a perfect evening about to be made more interesting by my latest discovery…

Excuse me while I take on a more perky tone. I was quite excited back then… "Hey, guys! Check this out!"

Toph, of course, gave me one of her 'no nonsense' looks. "Wow, I can't wait to _see_ what you have in store for us!" Her voice was completely high and fake, the mocking edges cutting into my excitement like a fresh knife to butter.

I blushed at the hidden insult. "Come on, Toph! You know I didn't mean it like that!"

She rolled her eyes at me. "Yeah, suuuure."

Sokka, being the curious inventor in our group, glanced at my metal box with bright eyes. "Wow, this looks impressive! How'd you get it?"

I smiled, proud to see someone happy about…whatever the heck I had found. "It just fell from the sky, like a shooting star! It was quite strange, actually…"

And dangerous. Don't forget dangerous. But, naturally, I wasn't thinking about that…

Katara came into the room at that point, carrying a full pot of her special sea-prune broth (nasty stuff…). "Huh? Wow that definitely doesn't look like a meteor."

I shrugged, setting the object down on the floor. I tapped my knuckles against the top. "I don't know. It seems like it's made out of metal…"

Toph's eyes lightened up considerably after that statement. "Seriously? Why didn't you say so before?"

She stood up with a mischievous spark in her dull, green eyes. Me and Sokka were probably shaking like scared little girls who were waiting for their death from some deranged serial killer (don't know why they do that in so many horror movies. Waste of talent if I do say so myself. Why do people like watching others die so much?).

The simple truth of the matter was that whatever thing we had found would be destroyed by the time Toph was done with it.

Sokka immediately stepped protectively in front of my metal box. "Hold on a second there! We don't even know what it is? Let's check it out before we smash it to smithereens, okay?"

As our blind companion started pouting, Zuko walked over to our box with a look of concentration. "Did you guys read the note?"

My eyes shot upward towards my forehead in shock. It was a pretty surprising thing to miss, especially since the paper was placed right on the front of the box. I still to this day don't know how something so obvious escaped my attention.

Maybe it was camouflaged? "Wow…I totally didn't see that…"

Sokka was staring at the note with the same disbelief that I had. "Neither did I…"

Katara, as practical as ever, shrugged. "Let's read it."

Zuko cleared his throat, taking this as his cue to begin. "It says…"

_Never give in to temptation…curiosity was the one that started it all, and now it's your turn…_

_Spirits look down at heroes with pride, now is the time to seek your prize…_

_This requires no payment, only made for your enjoyment…_

_Beware…the truth may bring in a few scares…_

_Are you ready to see the future, or would you rather wallow in the past?_

_Well here's your test, I hope you all pass…_

_The White Spirit…_

"…and that's the end of it," Zuko said, with a frown might I add. He can be pretty moody sometimes, but don't worry. He's not the whiner overflowing with angst that he was in season one. Oh wait, I think I broke something…

Ah, who cares? Just forget I said that…

Katara chose this moment to make a query. "Who's the White Spirit?"

Sokka lifted a hand to his chin. "Well, there's a Blue Spirit…perhaps they made spirits for all of the colors?"

Toph laughed at this. "Please, you're the worst at figuring out spirits, boomerang boy…"

A deep voice caused by the effects of puffing out the chest answered, "I resent that…"

I stared at the metal box, _curiosity_ already building up in my chest. "What should we do with it?"

Suki walked over to our mysterious item and pressed her finger into a circular hole that was located in the far bottom corner of the box. We all looked at her like she was crazy.

She raised her eyebrows. "What? I was just touching it? Maybe we're supposed to activate it somehow…"

Sokka glared at his girlfriend. "Well, excuse me! You can't just go around touching who knows what!"

His rant is cut off when the box suddenly screams to life. A strange white light flickered on the front left side, a blank weird sound scattering across our ears as various colors flashed on the thing. The front looked like it was made out of some type of glass…or was it metal?

We were all pretty freaked out, but Zuko just had his arms crossed and was studying the thing dubiously. He wasn't one to get hyped up over something like this (even if it was from a different planet. After all, we had never seen anything like it before…). Becoming ruler of a powerful nation at seventeen does that to you I guess…

After a couple of minutes of us gawking, a strange sound started playing from the machine. An older man, probably in his fifties, started speaking out of the box…

"When I was a boy, my father told me the story about how he and his friends stopped the fire nation and heroically ended the hundred year war. Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko transformed the fire nation colonies of the Earth Kingdom into the capitol of the world, a place where benders and nonbenders could live together in peace and harmony…"

"They called this great land Republic City."

The eerie voice continued as all of our mouths (yes, even Zuko) dropped to the floor in astonishment. "Avatar Aang accomplished many remarkable things in his life, but sadly his time in this world came to an end. And like the cycle of the seasons before, the Avatar cycle began anew…"

Deep, throaty music sprouted out from the contraption before bold letters in tan-ish font flashed next to a bright sun in the distance…

**The Legend of KORRA**

Katara's eyes were bulging out of her sockets. Sokka currently looked like he swallowed a lemon. Toph had an angry countenance, like she had caught someone in the act of performing a really stupid joke. Suki just glanced at all of us, as if we would confirm the strange sites before us.

Zuko looked as calm as ever, despite his one good eye widened to the point where one would suspect that he had been shot with lightning.

I, for one, don't remember my facial expression or actual reaction at the time. I mean, it was pretty surreal…there weren't any mirrors nearby so I can't enlighten you about how my eyes popped out or about the slobber exiting my mouth because I couldn't close it.

No, I can't tell you that. But I do remember one distinct shout that blasted from the room at that moment…

"What the fudge? I'M DEAD?"

**{Aang} And that my friends…was the beginning of the end…**

**{Zuko} Jeez, you make it sound like a bad thing…**

**{Aang} Don't you go looking at me like that? It was bad!**

**{Zuko} Everyone, I'm sorry for my friend's reaction. Please forgive him. This particular scene just brings him…bad memories…kind of…**

**{Aang}Real smooth Zuko…real smooth…**

**{Zuko} Shut up! **

**Well, don't worry people. I'll be writing the next chapter so you won't have to deal with Mr. Depressed over here…**

**{Aang} Whatever. Anyway, we're getting off topic. Listen everyone, I'm kind of nervous about posting this so…please review and tell us this is the worst idea in the history of ideas. I'm sure you guys have many other important things to read.**

**{Zuko} Ugh! Ignore him please! In fact, send us comments about the OPPOSITE of what he said! Besides, everyone liked this idea, Aang. There was a poll.**

**{Aang} Say WHAT?**

**{Zuko}Anyway, thank you for checking this out! I know you guys have been busy…**

**Ah, I'm not gonna lie. It's summer! You guys are doing nothing! Anyway, let us know what you think. Until next time.**

**Oh, and by the way Aang…I think you broke the fourth wall.**

**{Aang} Oh, was that it? Huh…wait, I did not!**

**{Zuko} The Avatar reference…and by the way, I wasn't being a "whiner overflowing with angst" if I quoted your description correctly…**

**{Aang} Yeah, you were…hey, is this thing still on? Monkeyfeathers! Turn it off!**

**{Zuko} Oh, sorry…**


	2. Is seeing the Future really worth it

**{Zuko} **

_**I'll never forget that day…**_

_**The day everything changed…**_

_**Most people see me as a dark, brooding abyss. Would it matter if I actually told you guys that I have matured? Would you see me differently if you knew that I can express compassion?**_

_**When you think of me, what do you see first? The scar? The struggles that encompassed my life? **_

_**Or is the only thing you see hatred and rage?**_

_**Throughout my adventures I've seen many different reactions based on outward appearance. There are many times when I wonder how people would have treated me if I didn't have a gigantic, face-eating scar. It boggles my mind that just because of one red patch of skin people find me intimidating…**_

_**It's pretty funny to think about actually…especially when one takes a good look at my sister…**_

_**But, I'm getting ahead of myself...and besides, you're here to see me and my friends freak out over some show from the future, right? You're not here for angst and mindless mourning; you guys just want a laugh…a little entertainment to put a smile on your face.**_

_**And then, you'll move on with your life…**_

_**Well, I'm sorry to say that even though I may have once had a volatile personality (okay, sue me. I still do…) I'm a pretty calm person for the most part. I spend more time thinking than reacting…I guess Uncle is rubbing off on me. Not that I mind…**_

_**Okay, okay…I'll stop wasting time. It's just…it's kind of nice to get this off my chest, you know? A little break from being ruler of an entire nation (at the age of seventeen, mind you. I don't know what to say for the rest of the rulers in your world…I'm sure they're a lot more experienced than me…).**_

_**Well, enjoy the chapter. Get your laugh in and ignore me. I'll just be here on the sidelines…waiting for that fateful brick of reason to knock me in the head. I may be the Fire Lord, but I'm not too proud to ask for help…at least, not anymore…**_

[Excerpt from TheHumbLEKIng900 profile, author of _The Nobleman's quest for Redemption_…]

**Chapter Two: Is Seeing the Future really worth it?**

Reasons for Chapter title: _I like rhetorical questions. I don't know why…a year ago I hated them. But now, I'm more aware…ruler of a nation…yeah, I can almost do whatever the heck I want…_

_So I want to make the chapter title a question. Do you have a problem with that? If so, let me know. I'm not the best writer…Mai proved that when she ripped my letter in front of my face. All you Avatards know what I'm talking about. Don't rub it in please…_

Yeah, so where did we leave off? I think my friend was telling you all how he screamed his heart out the moment the heading rolled onto the screen of our metal box. He was saying something about being 'dead' when he was clearly sitting right next to us.

It was a pretty silly outburst, really. I mean, we're all going to die someday. It's no secret. Besides, he's the Avatar. He'll just reincarnate in a different nation, unlike me.

I just hope that when I pass from this world people will look back on my accomplishments and acknowledge the things I did _right_ along with my mistakes.

Am I depressing you? Sorry about that. I tend to actually _think_ now that I'm Fire Lord and I don't have to chase the Avatar around like a pansy…

Sorry if it annoys you. Don't worry, you'll get used to it…

Anyway, what was I saying? I think I was talking about Aang…yeah, I was…

So, he's all freaking out over the fact that he's 'dead', at least according to the strange images being shown on the metal box (I know it's called a TV. Sorry if the miscellaneous titles annoy you, but at this time period we knew it as the 'box'. I'll call it the TV when we get to the part where we learn it's called a 'TV'. Just had to clear that up…).

I'll cut in to an interesting remark that Sokka made at this particular time. "Aang, you're right next to me. Unless you're speaking to me from the spirit world, your body hasn't escaped the land of the living yet."

I couldn't help but smirk at his words. Sokka wasn't the best comedian…at least not to us. But sometimes he could spout stuff that made sense…

I don't think Aang appreciated his choice of words though. He was still staring at the T-oops, metal box with terror. "Sokka, did you hear what that guy said? You know, the stuff about the cycles passing and the seasons passing and the-"

He was starting to ramble. His greyish orbs were sparkling with confusion and panic. It was at times like this that I was glad that Aang had already mastered the Avatar state. Teenagers have unruly emotions and it would have royally sucked if he had gone into Avatar mode right then…

Katara set her food down and walked over to him. She placed her hands on his shoulders and rubbed him in what I believe to be a soothing matter. She always had a way with calming him down. I guess that's what you would expect from a waterbender, a healer no less…

Her voice had that 'motherly' tone when she spoke to him. "Relax…we're all here. Look, the images haven't stopped. Let's finish watching it before we jump to conclusions, okay?"

I allowed myself a small smile while Aang calmed down.

I mean, everyone had to be a little surprised by what we were seeing. Being friends with the Avatar meant we were all used to strange sights…but this? This was intriguing…and a little overwhelming to some of us…

I felt this tingling sensation in my back ever sense the 'box' turned on. There was something different about it…it didn't really wasn't giving me any good vibes…

But I had schooled my features into nonchalance. I didn't want to attract too much attention. I had to remain stable for the others….after all, I am the oldest…

Anyway, Katara's suggestion placed us all in a receptive enough mood to pay attention to what was happening on the screen.

Two people stood side by side, wearing dark blue garments. They were obviously from the water tribe since their attire was fit for walking through the snow…

A group of men seemed to be entering the couple's home. They were wearing purple garments. One of the men's voice blasted out of the box's little…speakers (I guess that's what you would call them…). He was spouting different information about hearing other 'reports' from many villages and things like that…

One statement stuck with me.

"_How do we know that your daughter is the __**one**__?"_

The dark haired woman in the image smiled (she looked surprisingly like an older version of Katara to me…). _"Korra…you may come out now."_

I saw Aang flinch when a rock suddenly blasted across the screen…or was it me? It was rather shocking. That was nothing compared to what we saw next…

A short, stubby little girl took center stage. She had dark brown hair in two tight pony tails. She couldn't have been more than three-years-old. Her voice blasted loudly out of the speakers.

"_I'm the Avatar and you have to deal with it!"_

I'll admit, these days I'm pretty hard to surprise…but I was completely stumped. I'm even more ashamed to say that my mouth literally fell open from shock when I saw that puny little girl bending ALL FOUR ELEMENTS. Oh wait, she wasn't bending air…

Doesn't matter. For the first time in a long time…I was speechless.

My other friends were not as silent.

Sokka's voice broke the tense atmosphere first. "The spirits?"

Toph whistled loudly as Suki gasped.

Katara's breath was coming out in rapid torrents as her eyes bugged out of her sockets.

Of course, it shouldn't surprise you that Aang's reaction was the loudest of them all (must be a thing with airbenders…).

I have to capitalize his response. "WHAT?"

I know, I know… it might have been overdramatic. But, this was his reply. Short, sweet, and simple…

Aang would never say this, but I bet if he was a little more…vulgar than this would have been his response…

"What the hell?" Again, that is just my interpretation. Aang would never, I repeat _never_, say that…

But for his case…I bet that was putting it mild.

I chose this moment to speak. "Perhaps…it could be fake?"

I had to say something. I mean, someone has to be the voice of reason amongst the chaos. Unfortunately my argument wasn't very stable.

I mean, the girl was obviously water tribe. If this set of…images was supposed to be our future…well, let's just say they got the cycle right…

Aang shook his head beside me. "I can't believe this…"

Katara had gotten over her panic attack earlier and was rubbing the airbender's shoulders again. "Don't worry…you can do this. Just watch…"

It was hard to ignore the sparks of envy that coursed through me. It was very faint and brief…but it still burned nevertheless. I would never experience such affection from Mai…no matter how much I would like to imagine otherwise.

Please don't take that the wrong way. I love Mai, I truly do.

But she'll never comfort me like that. Then again, I don't need comforting. I'm the Fire Lord…I can handle myself.

Great…I'm doing it again. Sorry for the brooding.

Now back to the matter at hand. What was it? Or, right…freaking out.

It looks like the universe never likes to give us time to take in new surprises. Right when my mind somehow wrapped around the idea that in that little world in the metal contraption she was the Avatar, there was a bright flash of fire before the little girl morphed into a full-fledged teenager!

Needless to say, the hanging-open mouth not fit for a ruler was back on my face.

Aang's outburst was predictable and a little annoying. "The spirits! What happened?"

Sokka gulped. "Is it me…or did she just get older?"

Suki nodded in an anxious matter (from what I could see judging by her facial expression). "It looks that way…"

Toph shook her head rapidly. "I'm confused. What did you guys say happened? She grew, right?"

Katara smiled nervously. "Let's just say it was a really fast growth spurt."

I nodded dumbly, repeating her statement like an old record player (I know…terrible metaphor for the setting). "A _really_ fast growth spurt…"

After this we were silent as the girl aced her firebending training in the time it took for me to blink twice. She was headstrong, fiery and…as one master said on the screen 'lacked restraint'. She was very powerful…but it was all brawns. Nothing too complex…just a lot of fire power.

Soon we were witnessing her first stroke of rebellion it seemed as she left the Sourthern Water Tribe and headed for a city known as Republic City (interesting name. Why did we call it a republic?).

The city looked like an alien place made out of metal and gas. Pollution seemed to permeate the air she traveled through.

This one particular image nearly caused my heart to stop: A green statue of a familiar looking airbender…

I could hear Aang wheezing beside me. "I think I'm going to be sick…"

Katara's voice sounded shaky yet it still contained enough stability to support the young boy's erratic aura. "Just keep watching…"

Sokka's eyes were flashing with poorly hidden curiosity. I'm sure he really couldn't help making the next statement. "I wonder how they built those cities. They look pretty advanced…"

Toph blew a wad of hair out of her face. "They look like a bunch of old architecture to me…"

I smirked as Sokka made his usual dumb comments regarding Toph's opinions on scenery. "Actually, they look pretty new to me, Toph. They possess a certain…wait…why do you always do that!"

I heard a rather potent 'thud' before an unmanly yelp blasted through my ears. "Because someone is stupid enough to fall for it every time!"

Suki sounded rather strict when she interrupted the confrontation. "Be quiet you guys! I actually want to hear this…"

Thanks to her request I was able to place my attention back on what was happening before us. The girl was riding on a large creature that seemed to be a cross between a bear…and some other animal. They were searching for food.

After they took some fish from a lake, a strange man jumped out of the bushes. A lot of negative scenarios jumped through my head before the man spoke in a rather goofy tone.

"_Hey! Do you mind if I get one of those fishies?"_

The girl-her name was 'Korra' wasn't it?-replied. _"Uh…sure. So…you live in that bush?"_

As the man answered her query I couldn't help but think that he was a little crooked in the head. He was obviously a harmless bum. I wonder why I was so worried before…

I didn't get to contemplate on it for too long because a man chased Korra out of the park.

My mind started to blank out a little as Toph sighed dubiously beside me. "This is starting to sound boring…"

Katara snapped at her. "Be quiet!"

I was a little surprised at her tone but it was made clear when I saw Aang staring at the screen as if his life depended on it. I guess he was really interested in seeing what happened to this girl.

Shrugging, I turned back to the series of images.

Now she seemed to have met a group of thugs. They were talking about putting her in the hospital and she was talking about putting _them_ in the hospital. The brutality in this girl made me want to laugh. She couldn't be serious…

One of the thugs, the leader I presume, bluntly asked her a question. _"Who do you think you are?"_

Korra cracked her knuckles. _"Why don't you come and find out…"_

Toph whistled again while Sokka's eyes widened, his voice reaching an unnaturally high pitch. "Oh, snap…"

We all waited in anticipation. It was quite funny really, us worrying about this mysterious girl inside a box.

Our concerns weren't needed.

The leader sent a blast of water at her, but she bent it back toward him, freezing his face and kicking his head into a weird metal vehicle. The earthbender tried next but he was easily thwarted by a simple boulder from the ground underneath him. The firebender was next but he lasted about two seconds before she redirected his fire and shoved him through the windows of an antique store.

I could feel my jaw opening up again.

Aang grunted. "No way…"

Toph busted out into guffaws, clutching her small stomach. "She kicked their butts, didn't she?"

Sokka gulped. "More like scraped the floor with them…"

This was getting ridiculous. She really never held back! The contrast between her and Aang suddenly hit me and I had to shake my head roughly to get my mind back on track. It was starting to become too much…

When I was finally able to focus on the screen I was met with the sad sight of Korra and her…I believe _polar bear dog _getting captured by metalbending cops (Toph was whooping with delight throughout the entire scene. How could she not? The art she invented was being expanded. Aang didn't look too happy about it though…).

Now, the headstrong girl was talking to the chief of police (A woman surprisingly…).

"I think I love this more every second! Who knew auditory operas could be so interesting!" Toph was giggling like the little girl that she was over the show's antics.

Katara rolled her eyes while Sokka fumed, still angry over their previous argument.

Aang said, "You know, this isn't really funny. She just got arrested!"

"I know! That's what's so great about it! She's a natural born rebel! To think that you two share the same spirit…"

His voice growled, a dangerous edge added to the boiling pit of anxiety rolling off of him. "I am _nothing_ like her! Don't even make comparisons!"

I was about to comment when Korra's voice beat me to the punch. _"Beifong…Lin Beifong! You're Toph's daughter aren't you?"_

We all froze as the older woman responded brusquely. _"What of it?"_

"_Why are you treating me like a criminal? Your mother was friends with the Avatar, they saved the world together."_

"_That's ancient history, and it's got diddly-squat to do with the mess you're in right now!"_

I coughed into my hand, trying to suppress the chuckles leaking out of my fingers. The truth represented in those words was almost impossible to fathom.

I stared warily at Toph. Her mouth was open in an 'O'.

Sokka glanced at her in awe. "You got married?"

Her face broke out into light shades of pink as she shouted. "Shut up!"

Suki smiled. "Congratulations."

Katara joined the bandwagon and made a comment. "Never thought you'd have it in you, Toph…"

"Shut your pie-hole, sugar queen!"

Aang didn't seem to be in a teasing mood, but I saw his lips twitch into a small smirk.

We continued watching the show then with no more interruptions. I gasped when I saw Tenzin, a healthy looking substitute for an adult version of our airbender. I had somehow missed him when he was introduced in the beginning of the episode.

As his children circled around Korra (it was the moment when she learned that she would be able to stay on Air Temple Island to continue training in airbending) I could have sworn that I saw a couple tears fall down Aang's cheeks.

I wanted to press my hands on his back, but before I could make a move a dark haired man with a pair of green goggles spoke on the screen, turning off a strange looking device. _"Amon…how do you want to handle this?"_

A dark man in the shadows responded. _"So…the Avatar has arrived early…"_

He turned his head then, revealing a very familiar looking mask. It reminded me of the moment I let my Blue Spirit attire fall into Lake Laogai, disappearing beneath waves of shimmering water and earth. The man's voice sent chills down my spine…

"_It looks like we'll have to accelerate our plans…"_

Ominous music played in the background before soft jazz played under a new image of Republic City. Series of words in a language that I couldn't read popped in and out of the screen.

We all stared at the box in silence, grasping the information seeping through our brains with confused expressions (well, I'm not sure if this was accurate if we take into account everyone's perspective, but I definitely felt this way…).

Aang was breathing heavily, looking at the screen with a mixture of relief and horror. "Is…that it? That can't be it…"

Sokka shrugged. "Nothing else is showing up…"

Katara sighed, closing her eyes. "At least the worst is over…"

She couldn't have been more wrong.

A blast of sharp light forced me to cover my eyes. I blinked rapidly before searching the room for the strange presence.

A translucent man was standing in front of the box. His form was extremely…white. It was quite overwhelming since he was already wearing a blank mask…there was no color whatsoever…

He turned to Aang, looking over his body as if he were something to eat. "Hello, Avatar…"

As I glanced over this new spirit one thing was for certain. Whatever we had just witnessed, that was just the beginning.

The future suddenly seemed strange and distant. We were not done watching Korra's journey…we were just getting started…

**{Zuko} Wow…I felt really good about this. I feel accomplished. So what do you think, Aang?**

**{Aang} You already know what I think of this Zuko…why did you make yours so long? You're going to burn everyone out with your inner monologues…**

**{Zuko} What are you talking about? You did that even more than me! Besides, I want people to think while watching-ergh…reading this. It may be a children's show…but the theories never stop coming. I swear, my mind is chock full of them right now. Plus I'm feeling really philosophical at the moment…**

**{Aang} Spoken like a true disillusioned ruler…**

**{Zuko} Yeah, like a true…wait a minute. What's that supposed to mean?**

**{Aang} Just forget it. **

**Hey look, we actually got some comments! That was fast…**

**{Zuko} I know! I was really surprised to see them… **

**People care what happens to us. That's a pretty nice feeling.**

**We appreciate this, guys!**

**{Aang} Special thanks to PurposePen, our…guest I believe, and ****tsukuneXmoka****. I'm really grateful that you guys took the time to actually write something…even if I'd rather you not read this…**

**{Zuko} Again, ignore him.**

**And to all you silent viewers out there, thank you for the support! This really means the world to us, and I'm sure in no time we'll convince Aang that this **_**was**_** a great idea.**

**{Aang} Right…**

**Well, I get to write about my dreadful experience next. Be prepared, I rant a lot in the next one. To think that anyone could misuse the teachings of the monks so…blatantly! It's completely bogu-**

**{Zuko} Save it for the next chapter. You have plenty of time…be patient.**

**{Aang} Ugh…I just can't stand this! **

**Humph…by the way, how are we going to pace this?**

**{Zuko} Oh, I was thinking of that too. I'm thinking twice a week perhaps…**

**{Aang} Let's be evil and update on Saturdays…like the show. Ha ha ha ha ha ha!**

**{Zuko}…you suck at evil laughs.**

**{Aang} Darn you!**

**{Zuko} Don't sweat it. **

**I like your idea though. Saturday sounds good. We'll see how it works for now…**

**Thanks guys! We'll be back soon…**


	3. Regulations and Empty Traditions

**{Aang}**

_**Yeah, so here I am again.**_

_**Ready to entertain you all with more tales of humor and the like as we learn what a TV is and face the horrors of a limited viewing experience….**_

_**I'm not sure if I get this whole television business. Why do people spend so many hours wasting away on a couch? To think that a person could subject themselves to staring at a screen for days on end…it really boggles the mind…**_

_**Anyway, today you will get the 'rules' we received with our reward…and yes, I will be having random ranting sessions as we watch this episode (it's called "A Leaf in the Wind" I think…).**_

_**Shall we begin?**_

[Excerpt from AvatarOfWisDom784 profile…]

**Chapter Three: Regulations and Empty Traditions…**

Reasons for Chapter title: _Again, this isn't hard to figure out. There will be rules and there will be some…misuse of traditional forms and conduct. Don't stare at me! I'm not the one breaking the traditions!_

_No, the person who deserves the blame for that is a certain ignorant, arrogant, completely misguided, horrendous indivi—_

_You know what, just read…_

So here I am in Zuko's beach house. Shivering, gasping, holding my hand out and pointing at the strange masked being in front of us.

The world's most powerful bender, the boy who defeated the ruthless Fire Lord…

…is groveling at the feet of a random spirit who hasn't even attacked yet.

Spirits, help me…

What? Did you think that just because I saved the world I don't get frightened? Well let me tell you…even Avatars get scared.

"W-Who are you?" My voice shook at the end of the sentence. It was really bad…I sounded like a ten-year old.

The translucent man in front of me was dressed completely in white tunics, robes, ropes, and transparent padding that wrapped around his torso and ran down his legs. He was wearing black boots and his mask was grey, hiding his face. "I am the White Spirit…"

Sokka jumped in front of me, pointing exaggeratingly at the spirit's face. "You're the one who gave us that note!"

"Yes. I gave the warning…and you all accepted the gift. Now I will lay down the guidelines so that you may enjoy this show to the best of your ability…"

It's amazing how tricky supernatural entities can be. There's always a catch when a spirit offers rewards to mere mortals. There is always a dangerous mishap, a little secret that can turn your reward into a nightmare if one doesn't tread carefully through foreign territory.

To put this bluntly, I was extremely dubious about our _gift_. "Wait, so…that thing I found belongs to us now?"

"It does not belong to you. The purpose of this instrument, this…_television_, is to show you your future…a battle that you must be prepared to face…" He was standing in front of the metal box, his hands fumbling with the circular buttons located at the bottom of the thing. "I also have to inform you about certain…interruptions that may occur during your viewing of this girl's journey."

I raised an eyebrow. "Okay…?"

Zuko had his arms crossed over his chest when he spoke. "Is the television really showing us our future?"

"Yes, everything you see will happen exactly as it is portrayed on the screen…" The spirit continued to tinker with the box until it lit up, the front ablaze with a white glow. "Now…I shall explain the most important fundamentals of this device. I think you should all sit for this, it will take awhile…"

A while ended up taking about five hours. He had discussed a lot with us and it was very overwhelming…

Nevertheless, I was able to organize the most important rules onto a list…

Don't turn the TV on unless it is time for LoK

Do not speak with anyone else about LoK

Never take the TV outside (will be hazardous around water).

Never leave the house directly after viewing LoK

It seemed really silly, but you wouldn't see me disrespecting a spirit.

Sokka on the other hand… "Wait…you mean we can't touch it?" I could tell that he was really disappointed. He loved to experiment, and he had been getting more curious about machines ever since Sozin's Comet.

Somehow, he received an epiphany after taking down the fire nation's air fleet. I wasn't sure how long this fad would last, but I knew that Sokka's antics could get us into serious trouble if he got out of control.

"Sokka, follow the rules! We have to take this seriously…" I tried to make my voice deep, filling the statement up with authority.

Katara backed me up, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Aang's right. We have to be careful…"

The White Spirit gave us a small nod before turning his head towards Sokka. "You would do well to head your young friend's instructions. I shall return with _the voice in the night_…"

A sea of white foam and dust suddenly blasted into my eyes and mouth, causing me to cough. I could hear similar noises coming out of my friends as the smoke disappeared, revealing the TV shining innocently in the center of our living room.

"Well, that was an interesting way to waste time." I could feel the ground shift slightly with these words as Toph jumped into one of the spare chairs in the room.

Zuko was shaking white dust off of his clothes nonchalantly with motions mainly involving his wrists. "So…what are we going to do now?"

Silence invaded, creeping in slowly as thick as a rock. I turned and gave our plan-guy a desperate look, pleading with my eyes to get a response. Sokka shook his head rapidly, rejecting my unspoken request.

I groaned before standing. "Well…I guess we wait for the show to come back on tomorrow."

Suki walked over towards the TV, staring at it with a timid expression. "Should we even continue watching?"

At this point my mind was too curious for me to let the thing go. I'll admit…there was a little pride involved with my decision. After all, it felt nice to be appreciated for doing the impossible at the tender age of twelve.

"Yes, I want to know what happens next. Besides, this will give me an edge when it comes to dealing with my reincarnation. If I can learn to understand her as a person now, then it will be a lot easier for me to guide her when my time comes…" It sounded better in my head than when I was spouting my thoughts out loud. In reality, I was still upset about what I had seen so far…

But it was too late for me to change courses now. For better or worse I had been given a glimpse of my future. And I was way too young, too naïve and innocent to understand the full consequences of my new path.

But I was determined to unravel Korra, determined to learn about the world she lived in…

And I was going to find out…even if the ending killed me…

oooOOOOoooOOoooo

The next day was rather uneventful. I woke up, forced a whole bowl of sea-prunes down (all in the name of love, mind you), and slouched on one of Zuko's chairs.

I really wasn't looking forward to watching the next episode. Not only would I have to see a violent teen display independence and rebellion, in the middle of the show we would have to take a break from the show to watch a…commercial.

It was going to destroy my focus, I just knew it!

Nevertheless, I let my body flop onto the ground, going completely limp. Nothing could bother me. Nothing would penetrate my shield of relaxation. I would remain calm, unemotional until—

"Aang, come on. You're not dead yet." My peaceful nonexistent was brought back to painful reality when Sokka nudged me with his feet. It was such a rude wake up call.

"Mnot moving…"

"Fine. I guess you'll miss the show then."

I opened my eyes wide, shooting up with the aid of a small puffy air scooter. "What? It's starting already?"

"Yeah." He walked back over toward the rest of my friends. They were all huddled in a small semi-circle, looking at me expectantly.

I groaned. "I'm coming…"

Once my butt hit the ground beside them the opening played on full blast with the bold title jumping out of a sun from the background. I stilled my heart and waited with anticipation.

Korra started the show off with asking Tenzin (my son, I believe…he actually looks like an older me!) if he could take her to see a pro-bending match. I think I missed what the competition was about, but it seemed similar to the earthbending rumbles I had to fight in when I met Toph.

Tenzin responded with a stern refusal, trying to get Korra's mind off the barbaric sport so that she could keep her mind on airbending.

When he said this I felt my mood darken. Out of the many shocks I received yesterday nothing hurt worse than the discovery of one of Korra's major flaws as an Avatar: She couldn't airbend.

It was a nasty revelation indeed. To think that my art was all but invisible to the world…it just made me feel like throwing up. Seeing Tenzin and his children brought me hope…but Korra's inexperience took me down into a harsh abyss, crushing my fragile soul.

She had to learn airbending, she must! My hands clenched as the thought bounced in my head...

I could feel my body shaking with anxiety, my lips chattering. It all stopped when I felt a soft force pressing against my left hand. I turned my head and gazed into my girlfriend's deep blue eyes. She gave me a small smile. "You okay?"

I felt horrible. "I'm fine, Katara. Don't worry about me…"

I cringed as Toph started singing behind me. "He's lying…"

I sent a death glare in her direction only to feel stupid as I took in her eerily pale green eyes.

Katara shrugged. "We can always stop watching if you feel uncomfortable."

"I'm fine!" Everyone stared at me blankly for five minutes straight, turning my words into mush. "Okay, okay. I'm not fine! Now would you quit looking at me?"

Zuko sighed. "Let's just be quiet. We're going to miss everything if we keep talking like this."

Just as he finished making the statement I saw Tenzin and Korra walking down a hallway. She was dressed in average airbending attire, complete with the yellow sleeves, orange vest like cape, and brown shoes. Tenzin was commenting on Korra's current status in the art of bending air.

"_My mother informed me that you haven't been able to airbend yet…"_

Korra waved her hands around as she began to give an explanation. _"I don't know why but for some reason I can't do it. Every single time I try to bend it…"_ She made a spitting sound, sticking out her tongue. _"…nothing."_

I shook my head. How could a girl like her, a prodigy in everything elementally possible, not be able to move the wind? It was inexcusable…

Tenzin was a lot kinder. _"Don't worry. You'll just have to keep trying…"_

As they continued to walk down the path, Tenzin's children met them at the front of it. When they got closer I could see the glimpse of an interesting set of long wooden boards standing in a spiraling pattern with air nomad insignias splattered all over the sides.

My heart leaped into my throat as my breath stilled inside my nose and mouth. "I remember…Monk Gyatso used to train me with that when I was five…" I could feel the tears falling down my cheeks as I stared at the scene with awe. "I didn't think those training mechanisms still existed…"

Sokka frowned beside me. "I don't get it…"

He wasn't in confusion for long. Tenzin began to demonstrate what the device was for, using the motions and movements of a leaf to delineate the concept. His teaching method was so similar to Gyatso's…I almost had to leave the room because I knew that I would start bawling in a couple of seconds.

A wide smile bloomed on my face as…my son's (Ugh…I feel so weird saying that…) eldest daughter, Jinora, wove through the spinning boards. She used circular motions and graceful twisting movements, escaping the circular maze unscathed. I clapped loudly at this, earning a couple of stares from my friends (mainly shooting from Sokka…).

Toph scowled. "Would someone explain to me what's going on?"

Zuko leaned to the side, saying, "One of Tenzin's kid's just moved through this spinning apparatus without touching the device. The technique is based off the way a leaf flows through the wind…"

"Oh…" The way she said that, so apathetic…

I resisted the urge to slap her. Instead, I flinched as Korra gave the prized training tool a brutal stare down. _"Let's do this!"_

The moment she said that, I knew all hell was about to break loose…for her anyway.

The thought was quickly followed by the grunts, growls, groans, and 'slams' as she blasted through the maze only to get hit with every board spinning in the area. Eventually she was knocked out of the ring completely. She got back up, her eyes filled with rage, and attempted to conquer the power of the leaf again…only to have the cycle above repeated.

I had to close my eyes as the beating continued. I was relieved to hear the heavy 'thump' of her body hitting the ground before the montage stopped.

Zuko started speaking to Toph behind me. "Do you need me to describe what just happened?"

The resounding chuckles made my stomach churn. "Ha ha, don't bother, fire boy. She got her butt whooped! Doesn't take a genius to figure it out…" She laughed again, my body shook violently with every giggle that escaped from her mouth.

It wasn't remotely funny in the slightest. I had _never_ seen anyone screw up on the spiraling boards so badly. It was more than just a mockery of the art…it was a crappy display of crap.

I gritted my teeth. "Shut up, Toph."

"Relax, twinkle-toes. I'm just having a little fun…" Thankfully, the laughter stopped after that and I was able to watch Korra fail at airbending a picture of Toph's daughter (still don't understand how that happened) and see her listening to a pro-bending match while taking in a rather calming view of Republic City in the night.

Before long Tenzin caught her and they had a small argument before he ordered her to bed. In a wonderful feat of defiance and sheer curiosity befitting any teen, Korra somehow evaded the Order of the White Lotus and swam away from Air Temple Island, heading straight for a yellow, golden building…the pro-bending arena.

It was going to be a long episode…

I was prepared to see the worst…and then the show was cut off by what would become the bane of my existence.

Commercials…

**{Aang} Bah! I still feel bad about this…ugh, I hated that part where she first tried to 'be the leaf'…what a low blow…**

**{Zuko} Quit whining! We have bigger things to worry about! We're a day late!**

**Gah! I told you not to forget the computer! What is wrong with you?**

**{Aang} It's not my fault! Look, this girl was hogging it…**

**{Zuko} What! Who?**

**{Aang} I don't know…she said her name was 'Justice' I think…**

**Anyway, she had this…like family reunion thing and-**

**{Zuko} Forget it! Just…be quiet while I address everyone.**

**We are sorry! Please don't be angry at us…**

**And thank you firepowerinthehouse, Alexandra, Xx Senshi of Ankoku xX, A.R.C Fangirl 0w0v, tsukuneXmoka, and…Person….**

**We appreciate all this! **

**{Aang} Great, now can we leave? I need to sleep…shouting at a computer can make one tired, you know?**

**{Zuko} Not yet…we have a more stuff to reply to. It's from tsukuneXmoka…**

**{Aang} Really? Alright, what does her comment say?**

**{Zuko}….oh wow, she wrote something to everybody here! Even for that girl who stole our computer! Darn…well I'll answer mine first…**

**Um…all I can think of to say is thank you! I'm glad I didn't sound like a complete fool while telling my side of things. I hope you can still put up with me because I'll be taking the lead again for the next chapter. AND I WILL BE ON TIME UNLIKE SOME PEOPLE!**

**{Aang} That better not be for me…I told you that crazy girl took the computer! Jeez…**

**Anyway, in reply to tsukuneXmoka…**

**I can't disrespect you just because you have a different opinion. I'm happy for your support…maybe I'll be able to approach this with a similar attitude…one day…**

**{Toph} I appreciate the compliments. I don't really like my feminine qualities because I've had to live behind a façade created by my parents using those traits. However, they still exist and I'm glad someone can admit that without being immature about it…**

**{Katara} Thank you! Finally, someone likes me for my motherly instincts. I get bashed about that so much on here…**

**{Sokka} Yes, I will continue to tell jokes. It keeps the Team Avatar's spirits up, you know? Thanks again, tsukuneXmoka!**

**{Suki} Wow, I didn't think I'd get a compliment. Thank you! I wouldn't call myself 'epic' but it's very flattering nonetheless…**

**{White Spirit} Why is the mortal addressing me? It is not my time to be here and-**

**Oh, never mind…I don't have to answer to an insolent human like you. You clearly don't understand the consequences of these people's actions. I will say no more…**

**{Justice} Um, I'll make this quick before Aang sees me here…**

**Thank you! I know certain animals are…not showing up yet, but if Aang or Zuko decides to leave them out of their narratives…then there is nothing I can do…*sweatdrops***

**Okay, I'm getting out of here now! **


	4. Hidden Insults

**{Zuko}**

_**Have you ever felt…annoyed by someone's antics? Do you sometimes feel like people are playing a practical joke and everyone gets it except for you?**_

_**Well…throughout the rest of this episode…I just had this theory…**_

_**It wasn't very sound…and to be honest I'm kind of embarrassed to admit that I got riled up over a cartoon character…**_

_**But…there's this nagging in my head that won't go away…**_

_**I'm offended…and I have no idea why…**_

_**Now, before you chew me out and say I'm being paranoid…here's some food for thought…**_

_**Sokka felt the same way…**_

_**How strange…**_

[Excerpt from TheHumbLEKIng900 profile…]

**Chapter Four: Caricatures and…Hidden insults?**

Reasons for Chapter title: _Um…yeah, I decided to be a little more precise because…well, I'm confused…_

_I feel like I should be angry. It's irrational; I mean I don't even know this guy…but…_

_I really think someone is trying to tease me. I really do…_

Aang was having a mini fit over the fact that Korra sucked at airbending. Being a prodigy, I could only imagine his frustration over seeing someone fail epically at one of the easiest practices presented to the mere beginners (his words, not mine…).

I wanted to point out that Aang could be a little more sentimental …but I really couldn't say anything to sugarcoat the display of bending shown previously.

Korra was a horrible airbender…it was really sickening to watch. Maybe I'm getting a little attached (really? And it's only the second episode) but she kind of reminds me of myself when I was struggling with my firebending.

Granted, I was seven when I had my first explosive shouting match with training equipment, but I can't help seeing her in this light…

Either that or I'm going soft. Ugh…

Well, enough of that. Now it's time to see her rebel and get into mounds of trouble (this is what I presume, it's the common strategy for stories like this…).

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.

Did you guys want to hear about the commercial? It's really nothing special, but I bet you want to know how we reacted, right?

Hah….well, it was extremely weird…

Here's what I remember from it:

_With a future of decimation looming in the distance, Shadow the Hedgehog leads a group of 'Dimensional Heroes' to challenge Eggman and end his empire of evil for good. The entire multiverse of heroes is being threatened...and only one hero can save it all._

[Excerpt from chapter one…]

"To answer your question, they are coming.'' Tails answered.

"Then let's get out there and fight!'' Knuckles proclaimed.

"Then you'll die just like Sonic.'' said a voice.

The two looked over to a dark corner. Wearing a black cloak was Shadow the Hedgehog, at 35 years old. His quills were the same, but there were two other quills below his ones on the left and right. He also had one quill on both sides go straight down. His inhibitor rings were changed to a green patch, harnessing chaos energy.

"Don't try and intervene Shadow! We have to make a stand!'' Knuckles confronted him.

Shadow shook his head and removed his cloak, throwing it on a chair. "You're a fool to doubt Eggman's forces.'' Shadow said.

[End of Excerpt…]

_They were just a couple renegades preparing for an inevitable fight that seemed decided in the unchangeable outcome. But hope seemed to shine on the multiverse's heroes when __**he**__ returned…_

_From the creator of __**Two Worlds, One War**__, __**The Unity of Dimensional Wars**__, and __**The Monster Within Me**__ comes…_

**The Apocalypse of Dimensional Armageddon**, _by __Xx Senshi of Ankoku xX_…

[This was sponsored by Mcdonalds and their freaking chicken nuggets. Eat them or face destruction!]

…

Wow…did that make any sense to you?

When I saw this I felt like I wanted to grab a shield and…I don't know, cover myself? It was like the violence was going to shoot out of the screen!

I saw more anthropomorphic hedgehogs, robots, lasers, spiky balls, and way too many random characters to boot. I was pretty shaken up…but I was able to hide all of this with a grunt (you're looking at the master of the poker face. You can take notes if you want…). Aang's eyes were flashing with horror. "What was that?"

Sokka squinted. "I don't know…but, I think I saw you in there…"

"What? That's impossible…"

"No, I'm not playing. I really think I saw you…and Katara…and possibly Zuko. It's kind of hard for me to tell…the action is making my vision blur together…"

Toph groaned. "Would someone please tell the blind girl what's going on?"

Suki shrugged. "It just looks like a whole bunch of animals fighting each other…along with these machines and…wait, is that lava?"

I shook my head rapidly. "Forget that, did you guys catch the threat at the end? Does anyone know what a 'chicken nugget' is?"

"Hmmm, sounds like a fire flake…" Sokka grumbled as he continued to stare at the screen.

Katara glanced between all of us and sighed. "Ugh, we'll talk about this later. The show is coming back on…"

"Thank goodness for that…" Aang looked like he was trying to erase the images of the battering hedgehogs from his brain, rubbing his brow with a vigor that could easily leave a rash.

I was thinking about commenting on that, but I didn't want to get yelled at. Nothing's worse than an angry Avatar…and Aang had been on edge since the beginning of the episode.

I sighed and glanced back at the TV nonchalantly. _Let the irrational decisions begin…_

Korra had just gotten into the arena and now a green eyed, bulky athlete was pretending to be her…ah, escort to the games I believe…

His name was Bolin, and it turns out he's a Fire Ferret, a part of pro-bending's best team and rising stars.

He introduced Korra to his older brother Mako, who wasn't happy to see the hyperactive Avatar.

"_Bolin, I told you to stop bringing your fangirls here!"_

Bolin said, _"Ah, come on, Mako. I have a good feeling about this one…" _

I narrowed my eyes. Anger blossomed through my chest as I looked over Mako's appearance.

Hmmm, black hair…soft amber eyes and…pretty nice chin…

Okay, I'm sorry. I don't like him…

For some reason, I turned my head and met Sokka's eyes. He had the same incredulous expression, his blue orbs filled with anger. "This is…I don't know what this is…"

I nodded, relieved to see that someone shared my feelings of apprehension over the two boys. "I know…there's something weird about them…"

Suki giggled. "Oh, stop it guys. They barely said anything."

Katara shared Suki's nonchalance. "Yeah, they've only had like two seconds of screen time…"

Aang shrugged. "They look like jocks to me…"

Toph growled, kicking the airbender in front of her with the soul of her foot. "Be quiet! I want to hear!"

A mumbled apology followed by a groan entered the air before the speakers interrupted us.

"_Ha ha, okay. Knock em out!"_ Korra was doing a light fist pump. I take it she was happy to be viewing the match. I tried to place myself in her shoes…about the first time I had seen an earthbending brawl or my experience with various firebending masters…

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to sympathize. The only thing that came into my head at that moment was the word 'fangirl' repeated insistently in my mind.

Then I scowled because that's what Mako had called her the moment she entered the premises.

I refused to be in agreement with _him_.

As the match continued Bolin and some waterbender got knocked out of this orange looking ring. There seemed to be 'zones' that certain players couldn't walk past or step across. Mako was all by himself against a barrage of bending attacks (all elements were used except for air…).

A part of me wanted to see him fall, don't ask why.

Of course…the show mocked me and allowed him to get in a full set of inspiring fire blasts that took the whole other team off the ring. It was a fantastic display of Earth and fire by the end of the match, and Mako won with a fist full of it, sending the unfortunate man down into the pool bellow.

An annoying man with some overblown megaphone…or something, started shouting out praise as the crowd went wild. This was all woven in with an interesting overshot of Mako, circling around him a couple of times before settling on his face. He wasn't smiling might I add…which sort of soured my viewing of the fight.

Korra smiled at him, her eyes sparkling with uncontained excitement. _Oh boy…the romance is starting already? Well…Aang is kind of a sap so…since she's his reincarnation…hmmm…_

Aang groaned audibly, as if he could hear what I was thinking. "Really?"

Katara smiled. "Well…she is a teenager."

Toph shook her head. "Wait, she's giving googly eyes already? It's the firebender isn't it?"

Sokka frowned. "It sort of looks that way…"

"Oh wow, you guys can't be serious. This is only the second episode, people!" Suki had a devilish smirk on her face. "Just to make this more interesting I say Korra is going to fall for Bolin!"

Toph smiled. "Bets? Now we're talking! I go for fireboy!"

I grumbled while every other male in the room shook their head. Girls…

Anyway, now Bolin was trying to brag even though his brother carried the battle on his own. Talk about your royal brown-noser… _"Yeah, one more win and it's off to the championships!"_ He took off his helmet (it really looked ridiculous). _"So, what do you think, Korra? Bolin's got some moves, am I right?"_

In the corner of my eye I saw Sokka flinch while Korra responded.

"_What do I think…what do I think? You guys were amazing!" _She blasts this out after nearly strangling the poor boy and shoving him to the side. Then in walks Mako. He is predictably showing his appreciation of the sport by complaining to the waterbender.

I really should have seen that one coming. "What is up with this guy?"

Aang placed his hands behind his head. "Beats me. Guess he's just a hard worker…"

Hmmm, a hard worker? Well, he definitely knows how to treat his teammates, I thought as I crossed my arms.

The waterbender stormed off after the confrontation, obviously pissed. I sense a member drop out coming their way…

Korra tried to get past Mako's rough exterior to congratulate him. _"Look at you, Mr. Hat-trick. You were incredible!"_

"_Oh, you're still here?"_ was his nonchalant response.

"_Oh, you're still a jerk?"_ well played, Korra, well played.

The speakers sound morphed with Sokka's as Bolin and the warrior responded simultaneously. _"Oooh…ouch."_

They both said it, I am not kidding…

Everyone was staring at Sokka by now who had a face that could be mistaken for a tomato. "Uh…that was completely unintentional…"

We all nodded, trying to place our attention back on the screen. As Korra and Bolin's playful banter continued I couldn't help thinking about the firebender.

He would be an important part of Korra's life, it was kind foreshadowed with his introduction and all (seriously, the camera view after his win and Korra's expression practically signs their marriage).

But…there's something…off about this. I can't help thinking this guy is connected to me somehow…and not in a good way.

Korra followed Bolin to their…living abode (attic. Nice humble touch…ergh, I'm getting that feeling again…).

She was currently acing Bolin's instructions and for comic relief appreciated by everyone (except Aang) we got to see Korra fail at airbending for the second time in a row.

It really was sad. I was about to place a comforting hand on Aang's shoulder when the screen suddenly burst to life with orange and reds. Korra started screaming…and the training apparatus was transformed into a dark, singed mess of boards splattered all over the pavement.

Aang's eyes widened as Tenzin shouted. _"That was a two-thousand-year old historical treasure. What is wrong with you?"_

"_Nothing! I've been doing everything you said, practicing all the forms…but it hasn't sunken in yet!"_

"_Korra, you need to face the problem and stop resisting. These things take time…"_

"_You know what I think? Maybe the reason I haven't learned anything is because you are a terrible teacher!"_

She stormed off, leaving Tenzin behind with the kids. His youngest son, Meelo, took off copying Korra's outburst, throwing around pieces of wood while screaming.

I cringed. "That did not go well…"

There was no sound, nothing but the static of the television as the next scene popped up. I took in a breath and glanced over in Aang's direction. I wish I hadn't.

His fists were clenched, water leaking out of his eyes as he rolled himself into a ball. He gasped, muttering out words in incoherent sentences. Only a few stood out. "How…could…she…"

"Aang…" Katara wrapped him up in a hug.

"No…I'm fine." His voice was shaky and hoarse, but he lifted his head back up with reserved blank eyes.

I decided to look back at the screen.

Ah, it seems my prediction was correct. The watebender from before left the Fire Ferrets. Now they need a replacement bender otherwise they're out of the tournament.

I smirked bitterly, knowing Korra's next response. _"How about you let me play? I'm a top-notch waterbender if I do say so myself."_

"_No, I'd rather forfeit than look like a fool out there…"_ Ugh, this guy is killing me…

"_Wow, thanks for the gift of confidence,"_ She said, sarcastically.

Soon after that a referee stepped into the room. _"Are you guys in or out?"_

Korra smiled. _"We're in!"_

Bolin shouted with glee. _"Yes!"_

Ha! What do you have to say about that, Mako!

…

…

Whoa…what am I saying? Please ignore the previous exclamation…

Ahem…so the douc-I mean…Mako had no choice but to accept Korra on their team and now they were battling away like the jocks they were.

Except…Korra wasn't doing too well…

Sokka growled. "Come on, woman! Show that jerk!"

Toph hit her fists together. "Make those fools cry!"

"Ha ha, that's what you get! Die, die you rotten waterbender!"

We all gave Aang a disapproving glance who was currently staring at us with sparkling eyes, feigning innocence. "What?"

I chuckled while Korra fell into the pool, her first knock out.

I laughed out loud when Tenzin walked over to her. "Heh…when did he get there?"

"Oh, he heard that Korra was playing from that machine…I think they call it a radio? Anyway, she's going to get busted…" Katara said this very calmly. I could tell that she was probably the one paying the most attention to the show.

Aang snickered. "Oh yeah! Score!"

Toph growled. "Shut up, twinkle toes!"

As the two broke out into a little verbal argument the characters on the screen were engaging in a similar battle of words.

"_This is what I should be learning, modern styles of fighting!"_ Korra said with fury.

The battle continued rapidly, turning very personal when the insolent teen proclaimed that she didn't even need airbending.

"_That is a ludicrous suggestion! The Avatar must master all the bending disciplines!"_

Aang grunted. "Dang right it is!"

He instantly closed his mouth when a rather brutal punch hit him in the back, curtsy of Toph.

I rubbed my brow, calling on the spirits to prevent me from getting a migraine from all the shouting.

The fight ended at a standstill, tension palpable in the air.

She returned to the ring, fighting as poorly as she did in the first round. She was already in zone three, seconds away from being hit out of the area. Tenzin shook his head, preparing to walk out.

Suki whined, hurting my eardrums. "Come on, don't give up!"

Right after her encouraging statement, Korra started…moving in circles? It looked…different at first but soon my eyes caught on to all the subtle nuances of her feet and hands. She was…a leaf.

Aang gasped while Tenzin stared at the scene with awe. _"Well, would you look at that…"_

Katara smiled proudly, shaking her boyfriend's shoulders. "Aang!"

"Yeah, I see it…" There was still a little bitterness left in his tone, but he was grinning now, embracing Katara in a hug.

Toph snorted as Suki did a little fist pump. Sokka clapped his hands slowly, his face aloof.

I sighed with relief as the Fire Ferrets emerged from the battle victorious. It was nice to see Mako apologizing...though it was kind of jerk-ish since…well…

Whatever, I still don't like him, okay?

Anyway, stuff sort of droned on after that. Korra spoke with Tenzin and they both agreed that they had a lot to learn from each other. Nice little teacher and student touch there…

The episode ended with Mako gazing at the Air Temple (they really want to force this romance thing on us, huh?) and Korra gazing at the arena (mind you, the arena! Not Mako, the ARENA! For some reason, I feel like this needs to be emphasized…).

Beautiful music was produced from the speakers as Republic City shined in all its glory, water rippling beneath the surface. It was a nice way to end everything and then…silence. The TV shut down rapidly, the light flashing before the whole screen turned black.

Sokka yawned before stretching his hands out. "Well…I'm going to bed…"

I was glad for the suggestion. I didn't realize how late things were getting.

Humph, how long are these episodes? Then again…we watched two today so…

Yeah…I'll just say I'm doing some reports. It sounds more…Lord-like.

Everyone was going towards their respected sleeping quarters. Toph and Suki were setting certain limitations for their bet and it seemed that money was going to be involved somehow. Of course Sokka decided to jump in at this point, saying with utmost sincerity that Korra was going to fall for Bolin.

I shook my head at their exclamations. It really was too soon to tell…though I had my suspicions…

My red doors never looked so welcoming. I was about to open them with the valor of a man about to fake paperwork when a hand tapped me on the wrist. I shifted, lowering my eyes into the bright blue orbs of the water tribe warrior.

He glanced back and forth, making sure the hall was empty I presume, before whispering, "Did you sense it too?"

I didn't have to ask. "Yeah…pretty strange, right?"

"Yeah…it's like…I feel like I'm being insulted or something…"

"I know. It's like those brothers…they stand for something…I swear Mako has like all of my former horrid qualities."

Sokka raised an eyebrow. "Former?"

"Yes, _former_! No way have I whined like that…"

"Hmmmm…well, I'm glad you know what I'm talking about. It was freaky being the only one bothered…"

The fact is not reassuring in the slightest, but I nodded my consent. "Yeah…well I have important paperwork to go through so…"

"Oh, paperwork…"

"Yeah…"

"Right, secret stuff? Of course it's a secret otherwise you wouldn't bother pushing me away, um…"

"Sokka?"

"Uh, yes?"

"Leave."

"Right! So sorry, I'll just…yeah. I'll be going now…" He gave me a sheepish smile before walking away towards his room.

I sighed, ready to sleep the day's events away and forget about a certain firebender.

My mind brought up this query: Could things get any weirder?

The answer: Yes, yes it can…

**{Aang} Bwah ha ha ha hahahahahhahaha!**

**{Zuko} Shut…up…**

**{Aang} Ha ha, dude! You're a day late! Ha, you don't even have an excuse!**

**{Zuko} Of course I do! Ergh…secret paperwork…yeah…**

**{Aang} Now we're even!**

**{Zuko} Fine. This is a free pass for us both.**

**Don't even think about doing it again!**

**{Aang} Whatever…**

**Anyway, thank you ****Xx Senshi of Ankoku xX****, WriterJosi, ****Suzanne54****, ****A.R.C Fangirl 0w0v****, ****tsukuneXmoka****, ****firepowerinthehouse****, Alexandra, and ****RandomPow3r**** for reviewing last chapter! We really love all the comments and I'm happy to see new people coming along for the ride!**

**Also, thank you all for the alerts and favorites! Silent readers are welcome as well…**

**{Zuko} And feel free to ask us questions! Like how we got this computer, why in the world there's a commercial sponsored by Mcdonalds…**

**Speaking of commercials, everything advertised on here doesn't belong to us. It is an actual…um, story though. **_**The Apocalypse of Dimensional Armageddon**_** is real and written by Xx Senshi of Ankoku xX. I haven't read it, but Aang has…**

**{Aang} It is…crazy! I almost passed out from reading the first chapter…like robot battle to the extreme! Seriously, be careful while reading this…**

**Um, should we put up a warning?**

**{Zuko} Nah…it's rated T. You're all over thirteen, right? Don't worry about it…**

**{Aang} Well…uh, that works!**

**Anyway, we'll catch you all next time! Send Zuko hate mail about being late!**

**{Zuko} What! Ignore him please!**


	5. First Rule Broken

**{Aang}**

_**Sometimes it's hard being the chosen one, the one people place all their expectations on, the one who's supposed to keep everything in balance, the one responsible for making sure everything stays peaceful…**_

_**But again…I'm just one kid. I have the same goals, cravings, and flaws as the next guy. Just because I'm, well, the physical embodiment of the planet doesn't mean I'm exempted from making common mistakes…**_

_**With that said, I hope you can forgive me for the, uh…mishaps caused by yours truly. **_

_**And, uh…yeah…that's my excuse…**_

_**I hope it's enough…**_

[Excerpt from AvatarOfWisDom784 profile…]

**Chapter Five: First Rule Broken…**

Reasons for Chapter title: _I'm not explaining this one. If you don't get it, then…well I don't know what to say…_

_Just please don't judge me!_

It was a good stop to a rather long day. We had just finished watching our second episode of The Legend of Korra and now everyone was probably snoring off their shock with dreams of smashing robots and rabid hedgehogs. The commercial had scared me a lot more then I had let on earlier and Sokka's confirmation about my involvement in it pushed my anxiety up past the roof.

Needless to say, it was going to be a long night…and I wasn't getting a wink of sleep.

I sighed, turning over to gaze into my love's face. Out of all of us she was effortlessly calm and reserved when it came to the show. I had yet to see her crack. It was really inspiring.

She's a lot better at this stuff than I am. Just thinking about the opening gives me chills. I mean, it's not like I hate Korra or anything but her existence is further proof of my incoming death.

Not like anyone's exempt. We all die someday, right? Ha ha…ah…

Ugh, this is a horrible thing to think about!

Come on, sleep body sleep! Ergh!

I punched a pillow. Katara shifted herself over to the side. I squealed and moved back a couple of inches, panicking at the thought of waking her up. Her deep blue eyes would open and send me into a sea of oblivion. I would be putty in her soft hands and then she would ask me to discuss my feelings. Followed by a healthy dose of encouragement, and possibly singing, she would wrap her warm arms around me and ease me back into a peaceful state of unconsciousness…

Actually, all of that sounds really appealing but I don't want to prevent her from getting her sleep. Even if she doesn't act like it, I can tell the show bothers her. I'm not sure which part is causing her trouble because whenever I try to ask her about it she just shakes her head and kisses me on the cheek (an evading attempt if I ever saw one. Now why can't I do that?).

Anyway, the main point is that she needs her rest. Just because I'm having trouble sleeping doesn't mean I get to drag her into this.

I smiled at her, proud of my assessment and slip out of the room (Toph wasn't kidding when she said I had_ fancy _feet. I'm the lightest person I know and it's gotten even easier over the years to sneak out undetected).

I entered the living room warily, clutching my stomach as the TV stared back at me. Its foreboding square shoulders cut into my sides, shaking me with tremors and sending my heart into an unstable crescendo. I glared back at the thing, hiding my fear with brutal poses and hand gestures I made up myself (it's a calming technique. To each their own, eh? So don't laugh!).

I finished my dramatic movements with a single thrust of my first two fingers and practically jammed them in the screen's direction. It never hurts to be over-cautious sometimes…

Anyway, once my anti-fear routine was completed I headed towards our cooking station in hopes of finding an apple to snack on.

I had just reached the fruit bowl when I heard an ominous _munching_ sound. I turned around and squealed for the second time that ungrateful night, pressed against the back of the White Spirit himself. "W-What…Y-You…H-h-how-"

He continued eating (it was the last apple, darn it!) before waving his hand dismissively towards me. "Kid, you are a boy aren't you?"

Rightfully offended, I puffed out my chest. "Of course I am!"

"Well, then quit screaming like a pansy! You're giving me a headache." He threw away the core in one motion, sending it back into a small bin we kept in the far corner of our station. Since when did spirits consume human food?

I rubbed my brow. "Is there something you have to tell me?"

"Oh, don't worry. I just wanted to congratulate you. I'm impressed that you've lasted this far without breaking a single rule." I don't know what it was about his voice that put me on edge, but it was obvious from his tone that he was mocking me.

"We're not going to break any rules. There are only four to begin with." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. He may be annoying but he's still a spirit. As the Avatar, I have to give respect where it's due.

"Such a polite lad. I knew I picked the right descendant in displaying the wealth of the future to. The honor was all mine." He bowed and then laughed, disappearing in a cough-inducing plume of white smoke.

I pinched my nose in order to avoid the specks of dust that threatened to overpower my nostrils. Really, was all that honestly necessary? So what if we haven't caused any havoc. Is his faith in us so little that he can't fathom the idea of us staying out of harm's way?

Ah, whatever. None of this is helping me fall asleep. Humph, where's a sheep when you need one?

Man, that fluffy bed they made back for me before the invasion was so comfy. Ah, like a fluffy cloud! I wish I could lay in it right now...

Well, maybe I'll just have some water.

My hands were already grabbing a cup. I randomly pulled a bottle out of the pantry and poured a hefty amount of liquid into the glass, downing the drink in one gulp.

Tangy, very…tangy.

I shrugged, too tired to care about the taste of the water and walked back over to the TV. It sat there in all its glory, the sides jutting out a little more than what was normal. I smirked at the box of doom before pouring myself another glass.

"Bet you think you're so tough, getting the Avatar to cry and all with your sick images of…sickness." I frowned, going back over the words in my head. I sighed and drank a little more before attempting another self-boosting verbal assault. "Well, you're going to have to try better than that! After pulling the death card very little will surprise me. It's going to take a massive hurricane of images before you get to me again!"

I huffed, slightly upset over the fact that the TV couldn't talk back.

I guess I really should stop arguing with inanimate objects. Humph, thanks a lot Sokka! This technique isn't doing anything to quell the nerves at all.

Then again…why am I even taking advice from him in the first place? Pfft, weird…

My inner monologue was so engaging that I had neglected to pay attention to where I was going. My feet touched air as I met the cold floor with the TV on my right side as a witness. If my unmanly shrieks failed to wake anyone up, my trip should have definitely caused a few grumbles.

Embarrassed, I glared at the evil box. "Very funny."

The front of the machine looked back at me with no emotion. A small smile spread across my face as I touched one of the bottom buttons.

The screen flickered lightly before bringing in an inordinate amount of static. Bubbles of laughter escaped from my tense lips. My hands rubbed the TV, pulling back instantly when a string of small sparks attacked my palms.

My hands were turning numb, shaking with the short influx of electricity. I mumbled under my breath as I squeezed my fingers slowly. "That wasn't very nice."

I laughed again, clutching my chest with unrestrained fervor. It was impossible to stop. Every time I managed to bring the chortles down one look at the TV would send me back into giggle land.

It was obvious that sleeping had been permanently kicked out of my options list. For some reason the issue didn't bother me anymore.

My uncontrollable chuckles were interrupted when Katara stepped into the room along with Zuko.

She looked very beautiful in the dark, her wavy brown hair running through the wind with sparkles of water and stars.

I have no idea why I just said that.

Anyway, she seemed pretty worried about the insomniac laughing at the TV. "Aang, you okay? It's pretty late to be watching the show, don't you think?"

I waved my hands at her dismissively. Her concern was completely unnecessary; I was all over that now. "Eh, who needs sleep? Let's go penguin sledding!"

Katara gave me the most adorable expression when she responded. "But…we're in the Fire Nation…"

"So?" I was starting to grow wary of the conversation. Why was she being so uptight now? "We'll just find a fire penguin!"

Zuko had a hand up to his chin, glancing at my hands. "What is that?"

I lifted the bottle that was currently in my left palm. "Oh, this? It's just water." I giggled proudly after making the statement.

Katara snatched the bottle out of my hands, gasping wildly. "Aang! This is cactus juice!"

"Oh…I thought it tasted funny." I played with my fingers. It's really fun to do sometimes, especially when you start counting all the small rings that lace your skin.

Zuko was leaning over Katara's shoulder. "Since when did we have cactus juice?"

Katara frowned. "We shouldn't. Darn, I told Sokka not to buy it!"

I pouted as they talked. I felt left out. "I just had a sip."

Zuko smirked. "Really? A sip?"

"Yeah! Two bottles worth." My grin swiftly turned into a grimace as I realized what I had just said. "Wait! That didn't count!"

"Spirits help me," Katara muttered holding out her hand. "Aang, we're going to bed."

Her voice was like a ring of dainty bells, full of light. It was an earthy tone that could stop a man's heart faster than any rat poison or fire blast. Pure perfection.

Even in its beauty it was still deadly so I grabbed her hand, nodding vigorously to physically show my obedience.

She is dominant, I am her humble servant. Her prince in shining armor, the one who sweeps her off her feet, the sole survivor of the-

"Aang? Are you listening to me?"

"Yes, princess!" I kissed the top of her hand.

She sighed but I could see the blush creeping up her cheeks. Yay, score!

"Zuko, help me get him to bed."

"Yeah, just hang on a second…" He stared at the TV for a couple of minutes before finally deciding, with conviction might I add, to turn the thing off.

ooOOoooOOOOoooo

The next morning was, well…crappy.

Yes, I said it. Stupid cactus juice!

I grunted before rolling into a standing position, working out the tension in my stiff muscles. "Hmhnnn, I'm going to kill you, Sokka…"

The threat sounded pretty pathetic in my droned out voice, especially since I was the only one in the room. It was strange, Katara usually always stayed in my room, waiting to greet me when I wake up…

Hmmm, maybe she's cooking something for breakfast.

I whistled softly, heading towards our simple kitchen to help her. It was the least I could do since I failed to behave myself last night.

It was a surprise to see Zuko taking her place at our humble cooking station. "Huh, I didn't know you could cook?"

He grumbled at the comment. "I resent that." He started stirring up this broth…or whatever the heck was in his humongous pot. The only thing I can say with certainty for this meal is…well, it will be hot.

And spicy. Very spicy…

I groaned, already wishing for the unbearable sea-prunes from yesterday. "Where's Katara?"

He jabbed a thumb toward me, gesturing for the wall behind my head. I whirled around to stare at the peculiar note tacked into the wood.

_Went shopping for food, and to get rid of the cactus juice._

_Don't wait for me; I'll be back in fifteen minutes tops._

_Katara_

I tilted my head with a sigh. "Aw, she's going to miss the show."

"Heh, can't watch without your cuddle partner, eh lover boy?" Sokka punched me playfully in the arm before giving me a noogie.

I shoved him. "Quit it!"

"Come on, can't you take a joke?" Sokka jumped, pointing an accusing finger at Zuko. "You're cooking?"

"What is the big deal? I can handle this." Zuko stirred his concoction with more vigor, as evident by the fire bursting out of the pot.

Sokka took a couple steps back. I sighed loudly, walking over to the TV. "Well, I guess I'll-"

"Wait, Aang! Don't turn it on!"

"What's your problem, Sokka?"

"We're not supposed to watch TV until it's time for the show to start. Remember? Rule number one?" He gave me an incredulous look, his eyes widened with terror.

My jaw dropped about five feet as I pulled my finger back which had previously been dangling over the 'on' button. I slapped my forehead. "Dang it!"

"What? Why was there a _dang_ in that sentence?" Sokka glared at me.

"I…might have accidentally switched the TV on…last night?" I smiled sheepishly.

"WHAT?"

Zuko growled at the overdramatic warrior before handing him a steaming bowl. "Quit shouting. Maybe he'll get a free pass. It's nothing to get yourself sick over."

Sokka looked like he wanted to get sick right at this very moment. His countenance got worse as he stared at the soup in his hands. "Spirits…"

"What's all this racket? Can't a girl get some sleep?" Toph boomed this out, effectively scaring Sokka into a running frenzy while his broth landed on the couch. Zuko scowled.

I smiled. "You're one to talk, Toph."

"Don't test me twinkle toes. I had a hard enough time last night with your laugh fits." She hopped onto the floor, landing with a loud crunch. "So, we watching Korra now?"

Suki walked in behind her. "I think so."

I frowned. "Shouldn't we wait for Katara?"

Sokka stood up, scraping off his shirt with his hands. "Ah, let her be. She had to do shopping and other girl stuff. We'll fill her in when she gets back."

I sighed, running my hand through my bald head before pressing the button that would start our metal contraption. "Fine."

A shortened version of the opening played out of the speakers before we jumped into the action, starting with Mako and Bolin getting paid for their recent success in the tournament…only for their manager to take all the money back on account of random expenses.

Zuko shook his head while Sokka huffed.

Toph smirked. "What a douche."

Anyway, once that nasty business was settled the boys had to come up with a way to make more money since Korra is dirt poor (yet, she's still better off than those two. Interesting…).

Bolin had a pretty goody idea. He wanted to put his fire ferret, Pabu, up for tricks to dazzle the general public. I smiled as he talked about it because it sounded like something I would do.

Mako, being the big brother and all, shot his theory down with a vengeance before proclaiming how he would find a way to get the cash (he also said something about how he _always_ finds a way when it comes to things like this. Either he is a really protective brother or he's a control freak).

I pouted along with Bolin and cheered quietly as he set up his circus anyway. It was sad when he only got one coin. I would have at least given him five…

Trouble starts to show its ugly head when…I think it was Shady Shin, hmmm…

Well, some gang member tried to recruit Bolin and gave him like…I don't know, it was a lot of money (this is judging by Bolin's facial expression upon getting said money. It was pretty hilarious).

Next we see Mako working at some station. I was shocked when he displayed the ability to lightning bend so effortlessly. He gained some of my respect after that. I'm not sure if Zuko appreciated it. His frown transformed into a bitter grimace at that part.

Mako was now home at the arena, eating. _"Bo, I'm home."_

He continued munching as he fell into a green couch. _"I got dumplings, your favorite."_ He pulled one out of the bag and popped it into his mouth, as if to emphasize the point. _"I found some work at the fire plant. It's pretty decent money."_

His voice wavered as he realized he was talking to a wall. _"Bolin? You here, bro?"_

There was silence for a span of fifteen seconds before he turned around to stare at the air temple. He smirked knowingly. _"Ah…looks like the love bird is making a house call."_

A bird? House call? The heck? "That's a rather…odd way of putting it. I think…"

A bitter laugh passed by my ears timidly. It sounded really sour. I glanced backwards towards Zuko. "You okay?"

He shook his head. "I'm fine. It's nothing."

"Alright then," I said with a shrug before turning back to the screen.

It was nice to see Korra using the spinning boards the _proper_ way. I smiled at the airbending display…even if she wasn't _bending_ the air yet.

Tenzin's girls were teasing her about Mako and asking romantic questions like whether she thought he was hot or something (ha ha, unintentional pun…).

She froze up and instantly denied everything they said. Her efforts were shattered when Mako marched in from the sidelines. I gasped when Korra blasted the girls ten feet into the air with an earthbending shove. However, the kids landed harmlessly behind her with the aid of some currents, making me feel stupid for worrying.

Mako started asking her about seeing Bolin and she responded, saying that she hadn't seen him since their training session. I don't know why, but as they discussed Bolin's disappearance I couldn't help feeling nauseous.

I clutched my stomach absently, rubbing it repeatedly as Korra forced Mako into letting her join his rescue mission.

Sokka grumbled beside me. "That's never happened to me."

I stared at him. "Huh?"

"I was just thinking out loud. Do you have a problem with that?"

"Uh…no?" Man, what did I say?

Suki started clapping her hands, effectively getting everyone's attention in the room. "Statue! Statue!" She gestured towards the screen wildly.

Sokka laughed. "Aw, you look pretty good Zuko. Very…um, royal-like."

Zuko shrugged. "It's better than the statues of my father."

"Whoa, Ozai just got owned!" I lifted my hand up for a high five but everyone just looked at it like it was a snake.

Zuko's amber eyes bored into me. "Are you still soaking up all the nutrients from your _water_?"

I let my hand drop and scowled. "You guys are no fun at all!"

"Shut it! I don't care about a stupid statue! I want to hear Mako get duped out of all of his money!" Toph spat roughly, in which I moved about three feet away from her.

It turns out that Mako was giving his money to some kid in return for info. Huh, I guess you can never get rid of bilking…

The kid was mumbling something about gangs, the whole assemble together was known as the Triple Threat Triads (ha ha, like Triple T or possibly TTT. Ah…sorry. Couldn't resist).

Korra said what was on all of our minds at the moment. _"What would the Triple Threats want with Bolin?"_

Mako's eyes narrowed. _"Sounds like a turf war is brewing…and Bolin is about to get himself caught right in the middle of it."_

The screen instantly turned black after that, swirling the images around until a single shot of someone being tied up was shone. Whoever it was had long hair that was currently blowing up past her body, hiding her face.

My heart went into overdrive as I touched the screen. No, it couldn't be…

The girl lifted her head, revealing frightened blue eyes. I screamed. "Katara!"

Sokka pushed me away, glaring at the TV. "The hell? What is she doing in there?"

Sokka flinched away from the front of the TV as another figure appeared on the screen. It was the White Spirit.

His chuckles were partly muted as they filtered out of the speakers. _"I guess I spoke too soon, eh Avatar?"_

My hands went into fists. "What did you do to her?"

"_Oh, she was fine. Still is if we're being technical about this. But…you see,"_ He gave us another nasty laugh to prolong the moment. _"You've been cursed."_

"What?"

"_Just what I said, boy. You were cursed to make the next person you touched experience the same events as one of the characters in our fateful episode today. Can you guess which one Katara is?"_

Zuko mumbled something behind me, almost too soft for me to hear. "Bolin."

"_Ha, the Fire Lord is intelligent! You see, Aang. Your daring, lovely waterbender is currently about to get captured along with Bolin and the Triple Threat Triads."_

I raised an eyebrow. "The gangs get captured too?"

The White Spirit snapped his fingers. _"Oh, that's right, Spoiler alert. Heh heh, anyway…if you want to find out what happens to her…keep watching."_

The screen went from a muddled grey to black, shifting into various colors before a warning popped up. A commercial commenced in the background while I covered my eyes and screamed my heart out.

**{Zuko}…**

**{Aang}…**

**{Zuko} We are the worst hosts ever…**

**{Aang} Aw, Zuko…**

**{Zuko} Shut up! I am seriously pissed off right now…**

**{Aang} Relax, **_**she**_** will explain everything…**

**{Zuko} She?**

**{Justice} *cough* Uh, if it matters to anyone here…ah…um…**

**Well, all I can say is that I'm sorry. I had another family reunion and a bunch of homework that my parents forced me to work on.**

**So, yeah. There's my excuse.**

**{Zuko} Wow, that's pretty bad…**

**{Justice} Don't rub it in, Zuko! May I remind you about your season one tantrums?**

**{Aang} Heh heh…tantrums…**

**{Zuko} Whatever! We have a lot of people to thank and respond to so get out of here, Justice!**

**Whoa…we actually got thirteen comments last chapter! That's like unheard of!**

**{Aang} Aw, that ****tsukuneXmoka**** sent me a rant! Do I have to respond?**

**{Zuko} Yes, but before responses we have to give thanks…**

**I'd like to say thank you to…****Xx Senshi of Ankoku xX****, ****BlueSakuraKyuubi****, ****CrazyDyslexicNerd****, WriterJosi, **** 205****, ****tsukuneXmoka****, Anonymous, ****Archer117****, ****The Nett-Chan****, ****iliv4tv****, Melon Lord, Yenna, ****A.R.C. Fangirl 0w0v****…**

**Whoo…next time, you're going to do that part Aang…**

**{Aang} Alright, alright…now this is in response to tsukuneXmoka's **_**rant**_

**Ahem…where to start…**

**Okay, first of all you realize that whatever knowledge Tenzin spouts he gets from me! So I don't need anyone telling me to remember his teachings because I TAUGHT him!**

**Furthermore, I can berate Korra if I want to because she's the next Avatar and if she can't respect and portray the airbending race in a positive manner then there's a problem. I'm not saying that she has to do everything traditionally, but don't you think destroying a 2,000-year-old relic is pushing it? Okay, so she was locked away for most of her teenager life…big deal, I was locked away for ONE HUNDRED YEARS! And I will also say that-**

**{Zuko} Uh, I think you made your point. Come on, the viewers don't want to hear all of this…oh, Toph and…Yue? Um, Yenna says hi…**

**{Toph} Hello random person!**

**{Yue} Um…hi?**

**{Zuko} And to Anonymous…you can be as long as you want. Just don't flame and we can take it...**

**Oh, and thank you for not sending me hate mail. But Aang on the other hand…**

**{Aang} You better not go there! I already got the girl to apologize.**

**{Zuko} Yeah, yeah, I heard ya.**

**As for commercials, Anonymous, they can be sponsored by whomever from wherever. We really have no say in the matter.**

**Speaking of commercials…Aang, we have to give them a disclaimer.**

**{Aang} Huh? Why?**

**{Zuko} It's in the fanfiction rule book…I think…**

**{Aang} Uh…okay? We…don't…own ourselves?**

**{Zuko} Yeah, and uh…all of our stuff really belongs to Nickelodeon and…yeah…**

**{Aang} This is weird…**

**{Zuko} Yep. Um…Wow! Did someone just hug me?**

**{Aang} Wha?**

**{Zuko} I'm pretty sure someone just hugged me right now. Don't know who though…**

**{Aang} Okay, that's…fine I guess…**

**Also, for ****CrazyDyslexicNerd****, Toph and I are 13…and I think that answers everything.**

**{Zuko} Good! Signing out now… **


	6. Unbelievable

**{Zuko}**

_**When you sit down to watch a show, the classic assemble completed with a bowl of popcorn and maybe a lady to boot, sometimes you find yourself getting really enamored in the experience, really connecting with the characters...**_

_**It all feels so powerful, so thrilling, so terrifying and glorious and romantic and wonderful and glamorous...a good movie in the theater may just take that feeling even further...**_

_**And don't get me started on 3D...**_

_**However, even with the flashy effects and realistic acting portrayals (well, they SHOULD be realistic, I mean you pay these fools to act for your entertainment, you'd BETTER be convinced!), underneath it all you know it isn't real...**_

_**It's just make-believe, nothing to see here...**_

_**Well...we didn't have that luxury. Everything for us was REAL. Our future was real, the people we saw were real, and yes the Avatar's girlfriend was being held against her will about to get her bending stripped away forever, that was REAL!**_

_**Okay, I'm done with the dramatics now. Just warning you all now before the blow ups begin...**_

_**Please keep this in mind...**_

[Excerpt from TheHumbLEKIng900 profile…]

**Chapter Six: Unbelievable...**

Reasons for Chapter title: _I really have no other word to describe how we felt at this point, everyone was freaking out! I could barely keep myself from snapping, it was that bad._

_As ruler of the Fire Nation I've had to control my emotions and stay calm for the people, one must never see a King lose his cool..._

_But this? This was pushing it..._

As the commercial cut across the screen Aang looked like he was in a middle of a meltdown. He had passed the screaming stage, leaving it for the retching sobs of the choking variety. I was afraid that he might enter the Avatar state, but at the rate he was deteriorating a heart attack seemed more likely.

Before I could make a single statement Sokka was in front of the TV, shaking Aang's form. "What the heck, Aang! What did he mean by a curse? What did you do to my sister?"

"No...can't happen..." Aang moaned, his cheeks faintly turning green as his friend continued shaking him.

"What. Did. You. Do?" Sokka huffed, looking ready to kill. His eyes were tainted with fury, leaping out of his orbs in a manner that was probably more fitting for a laser beam.

I slapped my palm against my forehead as hard as I could while Toph roared behind me. "Would someone please tell the _blind_ girl what's going on?"

Both boys started going off on their own tangents.

"I-I didn't mean...it was...there was cactus juice...and..."

"This airhead got my sister stuck in the stupid TV, in a different dimension, stuck doing spirit's knows what..."

"SHUT UP! Dang, give me a break!" The outburst was followed by an earthbending stomp that literally sent both of my friends into the ceiling before they dropped like sacs onto the hard floor. I leaned up against the wall, trying to keep my balance as my body shook from the small tremors.

Toph growled before turning over to me, crossing her arms. "Fireboy, explain this."

I sighed, running a hand through my rough hair as I tried to comprehend the situation. I mean, it really was unbelievable to process...how could someone get stuck inside a metal box? Not only that, Katara was currently being thrust in an event that takes place in our distant future. The consequences of such interference could damage our entire timelines, ripping a hole in the fragile rules of our universe...

Right? "Well, Toph...despite how illogical it sounds...Katara is now stuck in our future, captured along with the Triple Threats and Bolin."

Toph stared at me with her eerily blank eyes before going into random bouts of laughter. "You're kidding, right?"

"Uh...no." I really wanted to sink into a hole and disappear, if only for a little while. My mind was having a hard time wrapping around the fact of Katara's whereabouts. Looking at Aang's face only made it worse.

All I could think of was how impossible the whole thing seemed. There really was no explanation for what we were witnessing. Could this be the power of the White Spirit? A being able to twist and defy the laws of logic and physics? Could he change the future?

My head was starting to throb erratically as Toph's voice pushed away my theories. "Wait...you mean sugar queen really is in there?"

"Yes, Toph! For all that is light, she's in there!" Sokka was _still_ very angry. It had been a long time since I'd last seen him snap. "For some reason when there's freaky Avatar stuff, you have to drag us into it!" He pointed an accusing finger at the poor airbender.

"It's not like I'm doing this on purpose, Sokka! I had no idea that this would happen!" Aang's tears were falling in fluid streams down his cheeks.

I sighed, trying to get in between the two emotional males. "Just calm down. She'll be alright..."

Sokka gave me the 'no nonsense' look before shoving me away. Aang stared at the floor, mumbling to himself.

Ugh, why did they have to be so difficult? Do I have to explain everything? "Look, guys. Let's just think for a second...this is a show, right?"

I continued before they could answer. "And when you watch a show you assume that the main assemble of people are usually going to stay unharmed in the beginning. Of course, sometimes things happen to offer a thrill rush and other heart-ramming moments...but do you really think they'll actually _kill_ off their main characters in the _third_ episode?"

I let this sink in for a good fifteen seconds before speaking. "Further more, Korra is the Avatar. Surely she'll be able to handle a couple of gangsters just to rescue her friend. Nothing is going to happen to Katara, okay?"

Sokka opened his mouth to make a retort. I glared at him. He closed his mouth.

"So...she'll get rescued?" Aang said.

"Yes. She will be fine. Korra will save her, you'll see." I nodded outwardly to convey confidence but inside my head was another story.

Would Katara really make it out of this? If something bad happens to her...then I-

With a grimace, I shook my head rapidly to ward off the unsettling thoughts. "Everyone, let's just wait and see what happens next. By the end of this episode, Katara will be back with us, safe and nagging about Sokka's eating habits." I smirked in Sokka's directions who was currently taking out his anger on a new batch of fire flakes. I guess he didn't like the soup...

Once my little speech of assurance had ended the show was back on. Korra and Mako were searching the underbelly of the city, going over damp, dark streets that were lit up by these soft orange lights. Like candles...

The scenery was very beautiful. It had a washed-out look to it, reminding me of some of our paintings we had lying around the house...

I narrowed my eyes. The background didn't seem...real. I wonder, was the TV distorting the images slightly to make it_ appear_ like it was created by artists?

Bah! I'm starting to get distracted...sorry.

Anyway, Korra and Mako were riding on Naga (Korra's pet polar-bear-dog) when they found Pabu (Bolin's fire ferret). It wasn't too long before they reached the headquarters of one of the infamous Triple Threat Triads. Mako was leaning against the walls, moving in slow, sly like circles to draw less attention.

I chuckled as Korra destroyed all of his efforts by kicking the door down. My humor instantly evaporated as they entered an empty room. This must be a trap, I thought as the duo scoured the room for clues and such.

A car interrupted their search as sounds blasted into the room, produced by the rough sparks of rubber scraping against concrete. I could feel the pit of my stomach drop as I saw Katara gagged and tied up next to Bolin before these strange men with masks shut the trunk door, cutting off our friend from the screen.

A drop of sweat was rolling down my forehead as Aang visibly shook in front of me. "Spirits..." His voice was completely cold, as quiet as a ghost's.

Sokka simply glared at the TV, as if the motion would physically draw Katara out of the contraption.

I mumbled, more to myself than anyone else. "She's going to make it, it's only the third episode..."

It was like I could feel all of our hearts beating together as Korra and Mako pursued the kidnappers. It was nerve-racking, waiting and waiting as they got closer and closer to their targets. The whole room was deathly silent as we all stared at the screen. One of the kidnappers fell off his...high tech bike? (technology, what else is there to say?) As the man crashed into the ground we all moved in together towards the TV in a huge ball of anticipation and anxiety. I could literally feel the tense breaths coming out of everyone's mouths, rushing against my bare arms and face. That's how close we all were...

This would be really awkward if someone randomly walked in on all of us like this, I couldn't help thinking as Korra and Mako engaged in a short battle with two of the kidnappers.

Their fighting style was a little...off. Compared to our skills, everyone would have been down for the count (especially when you put Toph in the midst. Even Korra wouldn't last twelve seconds with her the way they're moving now...).

It was very...strange watching Korra and Mako fight. It seemed like all the power from their firebending was focused solely on jabs and kicks. There weren't any major breathing techniques being displayed...I was starting to wonder why Mako of all people possessed the ability to bend lightning...

I got a really eery sense as I watched their opponents jab at certain pressure points. It was when Korra grabbed her limp arm and grunted that I realized what was literally taking place on the screen in front of me.

I sucked in a breath as I thought of a cheery acrobat I used to know, a girl who loved to do cartwheels and walk on her hands.

Man, I wish you could see this Ty Lee...

Sokka was pointing at the screen warily, his voice quivering. "Wait a minute...those freaks are chi-blocking!" He didn't seem to happy about the situation unlike me.

"Wow...what would you know." Suki had a small smile on her face as she tilted her head. "Well, she is a pretty good teacher. All of my warriors love her."

Sokka grumbled. "We are talking about Ty Lee, right? The same girl who nearly tried to kill us?"

Suki retorted with a huff. "That was over a year ago, Sokka. You just have to accept the fact that she's a Kyoshi warrior now..."

Toph growled. "Not to be rude or anything but our heroes, who were supposed to _rescue _Katara, just got their buts whooped by a couple of amateurs!"

"Well, this is all just an added effect to increase the thrill. They'll be fine..." I made a reassuring gesture towards Toph only to regret it a second later. "Just trust me on this, alright?"

As everyone mumbled a response, Korra started panicking on the screen. _"Ugh, I can't bend,"_ She thrusted her arm forward. _"I can't bend!"_

Mako sighed before replying. _"Relax, it's not permanent."_ He started rubbing his own hands. _"Those guys were chi-blockers..."_

"Thanks for the notice, doofus!" Sokka shouted, banging his fists against the floor.

I moaned. "Sokka...they can't hear you."

"Shut up, hot head! If anything happens to Katara, I'm blaming you!" He jabbed a finger near Aang's arrow. "And you!"

As he emphasized the threats with glares and other distinctive finger jabs Korra was man-handling a protester on the screen.

Darn, what did I miss? "What's going on?"

Suki filled me in. "Well, it looks like the gangs have been captured by this group known as the Equalists. That protester works for them...or so they think. Korra thought it would be a good way to find out where they're keeping Bolin."

"Ah, I see..." I rubbed my eyes, smoothing out the lines of frustration marring my sweating forehead.

Just stay calm, I told myself.

It truly was a test of inner strength and patience. As Korra and Mako found a secret map hidden in Equalist flyers, Aang was chewing his nails, Sokka was muttering epithets under his breath, and Toph kept cracking her knuckles. Suki seemed to be the only sane one present, though there were times when she would glance at her boyfriend with a concerned expression.

Eventually, Korra and Mako's research allowed them to infiltrate an event known as _The Revelation_ (disguised as a couple no less. I'd make a comment but I'm kind of occupied at the moment). It seemed like some kind of cult with all this 'brother' and 'sister' talk. The thought of such an entrapping situation chilled me to the bone. Right in front of me was the complex beginnings of a rebellion, and a serious one at that.

The kind of thing I was supposed to bring down, an event that could destroy the fragile peace that has barely been maintained for one hundred years.

Damn, I'm actually starting to freak out! Pull it together! Ergh...

Mako and Korra are in the crowd now...there's this huge stage...and the victims...oh spirits...

"Katara!" Aang was so close to the screen, I couldn't see anything.

"Aang! Move it!" Sokka pulled him back just as the speaker walked to a strange-looking device.

I gasped as the mask appeared. "Wait...didn't we see him before?"

Suki frowned. "I think he was the guy they showed us at the ending of the first episode...right?"

Sokka gripped his own brown locks with agitation. "Who cares about that, do you guys see her? She's right there! Darn it!"

"Katara..." Aang's voice was starting to sound like a broken record.

I gripped his shoulder. "Hey...she'll be okay."

A deep, throaty voice interrupted me. _"...I come from very humble beginnings. I grew up on a farm with my parents, each of us striving to live a simple life of comfort. None of us were benders, and this put my father at a disadvantage when a firebender attacked my family..."_

Amon seemed to glare at the crowd, his mask and hood shrouded his face in darkness. _"The firebender killed my parents. And then...he took my face. I've been forced to hide behind this mask ever since..."_

Eh? His story...why does it sound familiar...

I frowned as Amon continued with his enthralling speech, bashing the benders. _"Bending has been the cause of every war in every era!"_

Wait a minute...he's actually right! Ugh, forget it! Just because he has his history straight doesn't mean his methods are right. Ergh...

Toph smirked. "This guy sounds like he was dropped on the head one to many times as a kid..."

Sokka rubbed his chin, mumbling with an acid tone. "Hmmmm, I wish he would just get to the point. Blah blah, I have power, blah blah, bending is unequal, blah blah!"

"We shouldn't underestimate him, Sokka! He has Katara!"

Toph pinched Aang and Sokka's ears in a death hold. "How many times do I have to tell you two to shut up? I want to hear the mastermind's evil plan."

I blocked out their protests in time to hear Amon's solution for the world's imbalance. _"The Spirits blessed me with an ability...the key to setting everything right for our disillusioned world..."_

It seemed like he was staring at Korra when he continued his speech. _"I bet you're all wondering...what is The Revelation? Well, I'll tell you..."_

He paused. _"...today you will witness Lightning Bolt Zolt and his crew lose their bending...permanently."_

Korra's eyes widened at the same time ours did. _"What? That's impossible..."_

Mako nodded. _"This guy is insane."_

I couldn't help mirroring Mako's assessment. Who did this guy think he was?

Aang gasped. "Is this guy serious? Only I can do that?"

Sokka smirked. "He's obviously been drinking cactus juice." He then frowned, probably recalling all the horrors that swept us by because of that fateful beverage.

"I don't know, I think he really means it..." Suki twisted her fingers together nervously.

I shook my head. "Nah, it's a bluff..."

As we all assured each other on the man's mental health, Amon was getting his Chi-blockers to untie one of their hostages. The man had a scowl on his face, his grey hair gelled back in a weird style. He was wearing a purple dress shirt and pants.

I grimaced. If this was the style thugs would be embracing in the future...ugh...

Amon lowered his head in what appeared to be a mock bow. _"I shall give Lightning Bolt Zolt a chance to fight to keep his bending..."_

A sardonic smirk split the gangster's face. _"You're going to regret doing that, pal!"_

The outburst was followed by a barrage of lightning. It really amazes me how...effortless it is for everyone to do this. Jeez, you'd think I'd be able to do it by now...

I was taught by the dragons, dammit!

Hah...sorry about that. It's a...ahem, sore subject for me...

So...Lightning Bolt did all this...firework display stuff. Amon evaded it, moving in circular motions and wide arcs. It reminded me of airbending.

Once he avoided the electrical blasts, he placed a palm on the man's neck and a forefinger between the man's eyes. The gangster's pupils turned into slits as his eyes widened. Suddenly, all the lightning started growing smaller and smaller, drawing closer to the man until there was none left. He dropped to the floor in one deft motion.

I started sweating as the man attempted a single firebending jab before collapsing again on the floor. The crowd gasped in astonishment as the air remained vapid, no fire in sight.

The man looked at Amon in horror. _"What...what did you do to me?"_

Amon responded bluntly. _"You're bending is gone...forever."_

I swallowed.

Aang started making choking sounds again. "No...way..."

Sokka's jaw dropped down to the floor.

And in the corner next to Bolin I could see the faint outline of Katara squirming against her bonds.

Everything sort of just...blacked out. I couldn't hear Korra or Mako making an escape plan. I couldn't hear Aang's frantic mumbling or Sokka's curses. Everything just sort of...slipped.

I felt my body slam into the floor, sending a shockwave through my nerves as my back hugged the ground. My arms were by my sides, limp and useless.

All I could do was listen and breathe. I couldn't talk, couldn't move an inch. My eyes blinked and stared at the ceiling.

_"Poor, Fire Lord. One lapse in the middle of such an epic beginning. How unfortunate..."_

I tried to growl but my mouth remained in a firm line.

_"Heh heh, such a hot temperament. It's a shame you tamed it...I could really use a man like you..."_

The White Spirit? What more does the bastard want? I couldn't keep the feelings of hatred from swirling in my head, shouting inane comments and threats towards the mystical being. It was all I had to combat with...

Hot temperament indeed...

_"Ah, yes. Don't worry...you'll be able to rescue your little waterbender soon. For a price..."_

His laughter echoed inside of my head, frying my nerves with an inordinate amount of energy that pushed my body into a sitting position. My eyes were wide and pulsing, staring at the TV as my hands shook. Everyone was looking at me with concerned expressions.

Suki started the snowball. "Zuko, are you alright?"

Sokka frowned. "Did you pass out?"

"Did something happen? You were mumbling a couple seconds ago..." Aang grabbed my arm in a single anxious gesture.

Toph sighed. "We can't have you bailing on us now, fireboy. We already have snoozles and fancy pants to deal with, not to mention sugar queen in there..."

Just as she said that Katara's screeches jumped out of the speakers, bringing us back to the TV. She was now standing ten feet from Amon, hesitating before going into an offensive pose.

"Come on, Katara. You can do this..." Suki's encouragement failed to calm my nerves as I stared at the scene before me.

The battle started with a single water whip that Katara had brought into existence from thin air. Amon dodged it before running towards her, evading numerous ice spikes and multiple cutting disks before attempting to grab her arm. Katara growled before kicking his chin, sending him into a backflip before running at him with water spreading all over her arms. She sliced at him, trying to lay a single hit but he evaded the water every time.

I watched their movements closely. It didn't seem...right. No matter what she did he was always able to counter. For a master like Katara to be thwarted by a nonbender...just what style is he using?

Aang gasped as Amon did a leg sweep, sending Katara to the ground. "No, please get up..."

"No, Katara!" Sokka was standing now, pacing back and forth behind us as he muttered to himself while clutching his head.

"Come on, sugar queen! You're tougher than this!" Toph started throwing her fists into the air as any fan would do in a wrestling match.

As if she were fueled by our cheers, Katara did a single flip, kicking Amon as she landed behind him. Her hands were coated with ice. With an enraged snarl, she started pummeling him from behind. She stopped as he kicked her mercilessly in the face before a fist smashed her forehead. Katara made a moaning sound as she went into a squat. Amon slammed his palm into her neck, silencing her as he placed his forefinger over her head in a similar manner as he did to the previous gangsters who fought him.

Aang took in a deep breath. "No..."

We were all silent as Katara opened her eyes.

There was a single scream.

The water dropped and formed into a puddle at her feet.

And then...an explosion...

**{Zuko} Hah...man, I can't believe how long this took for us to post...**

**{Aang} Endless days of homework...writing...interruptions...and complications. Can you believe the computer shut us out near the end? I swear, we could have sent this in yesterday if the site hadn't been acting up!**

**{Zuko} Ergh! I know, right? **

**Well everyone, we really don't have any adequate excuses for what's happened. Besides, you don't want to hear us complain anyway...**

**hah...well, school starts for Justice this week so all updates are going to be on the weekends. If you get it sometime during the week...well, then that means we got lucky...**

**{Aang} Yep! so responses now?**

**{Zuko} Yeah, let's get this over with before my head dries up...**

**Okay, Aang you have the honors.**

**{Aang} Oh yeah, forgot about that...**

**Ahem, so thanks goes to...**

**Alexandra, Xx Senshi of Ankoku xX, candysmile89, LivanyandMaii, Landshark P, Write mor, CrazyDyslexicNerd, BlueSakuraKyuubi, Guest, and iliv4tv for reviewing last chapter. **

**Also much thanks goes to the silent readers, and the people who favorited and followed this story so far! We really appreciate this! **

**You're doing this next chapter right, Zuko?**

**{Zuko} Maybe...**

**Well, good day to you all! Hope you're all having a great weekend!**


	7. Eyes of the Beholder

**{Aang}**

_**There are so many things I want to say about this particular moment in my life, but words really don't give it justice.**_

_**Perhaps I should stick with the basics and say it like I mean it. The truth and nothing but the truth.**_

_**So bare with me here. I'm going to try to make this as clear as possible. If anything comes out crazy...well, try not to point fingers.**_

_**The chaos never stopped with just this event. It was only the beginning of something more...something none of us were prepared for...**_

[Excerpt from AvatarOfWisDom784 profile…]

**Chapter Seven: Eyes of the Beholder...**

Reasons for Title:  _Have you ever thought that the sights around you could all just be a big lie? An illusion? Who's to say we're not daydreaming now, imagining what's in front of us in vivid detail._

_Is what we see really the truth? Don't our eyes often deceive us? _

_Tricks of the light, vague outlines, dark shadows...what's in front of us may appear menacing when in reality it's nothing short of the natural environment we inhabit._

_So, I guess the real question is...how can we tell when our eyes are lying?_

Her scream grated against my eardrums, sending chills to my spine. I didn't dare to move or breath, stuck to the floor with the grace of a statue. My lips were threatening to split as my teeth sawed into the soft membranes.

I took in a deep breath and tried to speak again. "Dear...spirits..." I covered my mouth, trying to keep the nausea at bay. I had never felt so sick in my entire life.

Sokka wasn't saying anything, he was frozen. I was faintly grateful that he was in shock, because otherwise the fists would have come flying at me with the force of a rhinodillo.

Toph was muttering. "That...what just happened?"

Suki stared at the screen. "I think...did he take her bending?"

Zuko frowned, rubbing the bottom of his chin with his forefingers. "Well, to be honest we can't say that for certain. The explosion happened right while they were in the middle of it..."

"Who cares about that, what if her bending is actually gone?! What are we supposed to do?!" Sokka was glaring at all of us, but his eyes zeroed in on me. "You!"

I squeaked. "Sokka, please I-"

"I don't want to hear it! Just...urgh! Did anyone write down the list?"

Zuko gave him a quizzical expression. "What list?"

Sokka slammed a hand against his forehead. "The rules! The list with the rules! Did anyone write them down?"

Toph raised her hand and I cringed internally at what was sure to follow. "Yeah, I wrote them down. The paper is in my sleeping bag."

Sokka's eyes brightened. "Really Toph? Finally, someone gets it! We need to fo-wait a minute, TOPH!"

"Jeez, calm down! I was kidding!" She got up on her feet, sticking her tongue out in Sokka's direction. "You need to chill, alright? Katara could be fine for all we know. Let's not get overworked, it won't help in her case..."

Sokka's face grew red as he spoke. "Yes it will! Don't you see? Guys, how did this all start?"

I groaned. "When I found that stupid TV-"

"NO! I mean, when did Katara first disappear?"

"It was earlier today, when she went out to get groceries." Zuko stated bluntly.

"Right, and what happened before that?" He stared at me, obviously pushing me to make the next response.

Slowly, my eyes widened as I finally realized where this was all leading up. "I turned the TV on..."

"Exactly. You broke the rules, and that caused all this craziness. So, if one of us breaks the rules again..." His eyes were sparkling with excitement and mischief. "We can all get in there, whip his butt, and-"

"Sokka, breaking the rules won't give us an automatic ticket into Republic City. The only reason the Spirit took Katara was because she served as a punishment for Aang. He's not going to send us all in if that's what we want."

Sokka glared at Zuko, offended that he was interrupted. "Well, we need to get his attention somehow. We have to rescue Katara!"

Toph shrugged. "Or, we can just wait for the Spirit to bring her back. I'm sure there's a time limit to all of this..."

Suki smiled softly, rubbing Sokka's shoulders. "Besides, Korra was probably the one who caused the explosion. She'll help Katara out, I'm sure of it!"

Sokka gave her a weary look. "Really now?"

"Yes. Remember, Korra is Aang's reincarnation. Katara is an important part of Aang's life, so maybe Korra will be able to make some connection with her."

"Huh...that actually makes sense..." Sokka was staring at the screen with curiosity now, probably mulling the idea over in his head. "It just might work..."

Toph jabbed him in the back lightly. "The point is, we won't know unless we watch." She sat, tugging on Sokka's pants until he lowered himself, grumbling with his hands underneath his chin.

I sighed, massaging my temple as I tried to calm my racing heart.

I...I don't really want to watch anymore of this, I really don't...

I shoved the thought out, blinking away the moisture that had been clotting the creases of my eyelids. Get a grip on yourself! You're the Avatar, and if you want to help Katara you're going to need to toughen up! Be a man!

I puffed out my chest...and let out a long, drowned out moan. Ugh...

I looked up, startled to feel something rubbing my head. "Huh?"

Zuko gave me a small nod. "Relax."

I nodded vigorously. "I'm fine."

He kept his hand on my head as the screen puffed out static. It shimmered and vibrated before an image appeared on the screen.

The screen zoomed in closer to Mako's face. He grabbed his brother from behind. _"Bolin!"_

_"Mako! You're my hero!"_

_"Come on, we have to go!"_

I frowned. What about Korra? They weren't just going to leave her behind, were they?

Mako and Bolin went outside, climbing down a ladder that was set near the edge of a patio. They were about halfway down when a man with a green goggle mask took a step above them, swinging metal sticks. Electricity buzzed out of the tips, transferring to the ladder.

Mako and Bolin were sent to the ground in a harsh heap as the man jumped down, waving his sticks.

Wait a minute, didn't we see that guy before? "Who is he?"

Zuko grumbled. "I'm not sure, but I think he's Amon's second in command."

As the sentence left his stiff lips, Mako was currently battling the metal wielder, fighting with faint fire thrusts. He was shot back five feet, hitting the ground in a tumbling spin while Bolin shot up from the ground, sending multiple blocks into the air.

The metal wielder dodged them with ease, doing a set of back flips before performing rapid electrical jabs to Bolin's midsection.

Bolin screamed. _"Ah-agh-ah-gahaaaaah!"_

The sound oscillated from a high rattle to a low moan before Bolin fell forward. I cringed. "This is so messed up!"

Sokka grunted. "Honestly, their bending sucks."

Suki nodded. "Are they holding back? You'd think they would be a little more aggressive, considering it's their life on the line..."

"Actually, I think that's the best they _can_ do."

I turned to Zuko with a dull expression. "What do you mean?"

"Well, they're just a couple of jocks. It's not like they've been properly trained for combat or anything like that."

Sokka huffed. "Than why is Mako able to lightning bend? I thought you had to be a _master_ to do that."

Zuko sighed. "Uh...raw talent I guess?"

"Talent huh?"

"Yeah..." Zuko had a pained expression.

I knew this was a touchy topic for him. Despite being a master, Zuko still hasn't been able to produce his own lightning. I can imagine how humiliating it was, to see a firebender like Mako achieve something so blatantly without the proper training.

I gave him an encouraging grin. "I'm sure he must have had a teacher at some point. After all, we've only seen them in their teens. We don't know anything about their childhoods."

"Actually, we do. We know they both used to work on the streets, struggling to get by. They're orphans..." Zuko stared at me, his eyes flashing. "They've been alone all their lives, any defense they've picked up has been self-taught..."

"That's a pretty heavy generalization," Sokka mumbled.

Zuko shrugged. "That's what I have so far. It hasn't really been clear...but from the way Mako acts and speaks...it's all pointing that way to me."

I shivered, looking away from Zuko's solemn eyes. His analysis seemed pretty spot on.

The strange man with the metal weapons spoke, interrupting my thoughts. _"You benders need to understand...there's no place for you in this world anymore."_

His sentence ended just as a pillar of earth slammed into his ribcage, knocking him into the wall.

Korra smirked, standing from within the shadows. _"I wouldn't count us out just yet."_

Toph whooped. "Finally! Thank you oh so much!"

I let a small grin appear on my face. Just a small one...

Korra gave us all a huge smile as the metal wielder collapsed onto the ground. She then turned to the side, whistling for Naga.

The great beast came, running at a somewhat slow pace as the lone rider moaned.

"She has Katara!" I screeched, waving at the screen like a maniac.

Toph smirked. "Great intuition, Suki."

"Thanks."

Katara continued moaning on the screen, lifting her head. _"Where...where am I?"_

Korra smirked, ruffling her head. _"Don't worry, sweetie. I've got this. Hey! Mako! Bolin! Get your lazy butts over here!"_

I gulped. She sounded very sarcastic and arrogant...however, it still didn't make the situation less disturbing.

You see...uh, I'm like the only one who calls Katara 'sweetie.' I know, laugh all you want...but...hearing her say that?

Ugh...my stomach feels like a torched furnace. "I think I'm going to be sick..."

Seriously, I wasn't trying to be rude or anything. But all the stress was starting to snowball into an entanglement of nerves that sent endless chills down my spine. Like creeping spiders, all traveling in the same area, too small for me to swipe away...

I gripped my head.

Sokka gave me a half-concerned half-annoyed look. "You're not going to start hyperventilating are you?"

"I...I need a moment..."

"Toughen up! She got Katara, be happy!" Toph's encouraging back punch didn't make me feel any better.

I pressed a hand to my chest, rubbing in small circles. The pain, why won't it go away? "Sorry guys."

Zuko sighed. "Everyone just be quiet, alright?"

_"I want-to be-on-your-back-oh!"_ Bolin's voice echoed in and out of the speaker as Naga carried him by his shirt collar while Mako and Korra rode safely with Katara on the saddle.

The metal wielder groaned as a bunch of random equalist soldiers came running from around the corner. _"Everyone, after them!"_

_"Wait..."_ The soldiers paused in their positions, glancing up at their leader. Amon gripped the guard rails, his voice calm and foreboding. _"She's the perfect messenger. Soon, the world will know of my power..."_

I flinched. No matter how many times that guy talked, it still gave me the creeps.

Great, another maniac on the loose. Heh, Ozai was worse...

My teeth chattered, destroying my previous claim. It didn't matter how harmless the guy looked, he was somehow able to complete a process that only an _Avatar_ could do. Something that _I_ had discovered...

How could he have learned the technique? Was it something everyone could do? If a nonbender could do it, who's to say the same for all the other benders?

My stomach twisted precariously as I swallowed the acrid bile rising in my throat. "Could someone pass me a bag..."

Zuko pushed something towards me, his voice sympathetic. "Here's a barrel."

"Thanks." I took a deep, shuttering breath before hurling my breakfast into the poor wooden container.

Ick!

Blegh!

Groan. Glance at screen. Freak out. Repeat.

I know, pitiful right?

Well, I'm human. My spirit may be eternal, but I'm human.

Sokka sighed, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry if I made things worse."

"Don't...don't apologize..." I stared at my sludge with disgust.

"Look, I know you really care about her. I was going over the line..."

"No, you have a right to be mad..." I turned my head towards him. "Please, forgive me."

Sokka chuckled softly. "Already done. Just...make sure you do the same for me."

I nodded, rubbing my eyes. "So...now what?"

Zuko stood up, stretching. "I think the show is over. The credits are scrolling up."

"Oh..."

Suki frowned. "That's it? What about Katara, she should be back...right?"

Toph made a popping sound, shifting the bones that made up her knuckles (man, why does she do that? It sounds really painful...). "Beats me. Maybe she'll be with us by tomorrow."

Zuko mumbled, staring at the screen. "Maybe..."

"I still say we break a rule and get in ourselves." Sokka crossed his arms, tapping his foot in the TV's direction.

"I don't think so, Sokka. That might just make it worse. I mean, there can't be two Avatars in the same world...right?" I glanced at everyone, desperately looking for approval.

Zuko was the only one that made eye contact. "Just the fact that Katara is there will mess up the timeline. If we all go in...there's no telling what could happen..."

_"Indeed."_

I jumped, turning back toward the TV. My foot swung out, knocking over the barrel as laughter coursed through the room. _"That never gets old...I really love doing that."_

I could feel my vision turning red as I growled menacingly. My hands shook, growing hotter by the second as my skin started glowing.

Crap! Pull it together! I huffed, trying my best to control the rage. My hands stopped glowing, but that was it.

_"Aw, is somebody angry?"_ His laughter just kept getting louder. _"You have more in common with the Firelord than you think, boy."_

I wasn't having it. He couldn't distract me. "What did you do to Katara?"

_"Oh, me? I haven't done a thing, I can assure you. However, Amon on the other hand..."_ He chuckled, as if he were going over a joke in his head.

Zuko stepped beside me, his fists clenched. "Bring her back. We already got the message...we're not going to break anymore rules."

_"Ah, but you see? There has been a ripple effect..."_

I raised an eyebrow. "Ripple?"

_"Yes. You see, doing things like this does have a negative effect on...shall we say, the rules of your universe? In order for me to return your dear friend, well...a price must be paid."_

I gulped. "What price?"

His voice was all business. _"When a being is transferred like this, an equal transaction must take place, otherwise things will turn to chaos. As you all know...this show takes place in your distant future."_ He waved his hand dismissively, as if that was all that needed to be said.

"What do you need us to do?" Zuko said, getting straight to the point.

_"I'm going to send someone from here to your present timeline. Also, just to show how generous I am, I shall let you have first pick?"_ He showed us various images of different characters from the show, starting with Korra going all the way to the metal wielder himself. _"Who will you choose?"_

Sokka frowned. "What about the show? It would be bad if the characters were randomly missing from it."

_"That is a minor convenience. I can easily freeze their progress for the duration of their visit. All you have to do is make sure your guest doesn't figure out that they're in the past. Are we clear?"_

"Yeah..." There was venom dripping from the end of Sokka's response.

_"Good."_ The White Spirit smiled, rubbing his hands together. _"So, who will be the lucky fool?"_

We were all silent. I had an incredulous look while Sokka just looked pissed. Toph smirked, turning her head away while whistling. Suki was biting her fingers, worry running across her eyelids every now and then.

Zuko took a step forward, his expression neutral. "Mako."

I gasped while the Spirit clapped. _"Mako. Excellent choice!"_

Sokka made a sound that was cross between a snort and a groan. "You're picking him?"

Zuko glared at him. "Do you have a better choice?"

Sokka opened his mouth...then he closed it. "No."

"Good." Zuko turned towards the screen. "When will he be here?"

_"In about two hours. Make sure you're prepared. He must not find out that he is in a different timeline. Pretend like you're a tourist spot, or history town...whatever. Something exotic, alright? Cover names would probably be a safe bet as well..."_ He spouted out the suggestions, as if we were all close friends.

"We'll...consider it."

The White Spirit chuckled. _"So polite, if only everyone could turn out like you..."_ He flashed us all a gaudy thumbs up. _"Have fun."_

The screen instantly blacked out, sending our poorly lit room into a world of oblivion.

**{Zuko} Wow, a month hiatus...okay then. Aang, you bought the shields, right?**

**{Aang} They're set and ready to go!**

**{Zuko} Good. **

**Okay, so you all are probably mad at us...like, furious to a fault. We're sorry about the long wait. We've been banned from the computer for weeks now thanks to school, Justice, and...well, school...**

**{Aang} They get it. We've got a strange schedule going on, it kind of interconnects with other people's stories so...yeah, updating has been kind of rough. But we're very grateful that you all stuck with us this far. Thank you for your patience!**

**{Zuko} Speaking of thanks...**

**We would appreciate the support from BlueSakuraKyuubi, LivanyandMaii, Alexandra989, Avatarfan27, Guest, and Xx Senshi of Ankoku xX for reviewing last chapter!**

**{Aang} And we really appreciate all the alerts and favorites! It's nice to know that so many of you care about our story! Thank you all so much!**

**{Zuko} Yep. You guys are awesome. None of this would be happening if it weren't for you. **

**Seriously, Aang really didn't want me to post this, but I think it's important to share our opinions. Right, Aang?**

**{Aang}...and signing off now!**


	8. Fire Flakes are so Old Fashioned

**{Zuko}**

_**Say what you want about me, I wasn't jealous of Mako. Simply curious, I swear that was the basis for my decision.**_

_**Of course, I didn't realize that his arrival would open up more problems as we set up the place to look like a random tourist attraction.**_

_**Damn loopholes.**_

_**Well, I hope you guys enjoy this installment of our long predicament with the supernatural and shifts in the time-space continuom...man, I feel like I'm quoting something.**_

_**Ah well, go ahead and grab some popcorn and get the TV remote. Enter the realm of impossibility for a minute...and by all means, laugh to your heart's content.**_

[Excerpt from TheHumbLEKIng900 profile…]

**Chapter Eight: Fire Flakes are so Old Fashioned...**

Reasons for Title: _Yeah, it's a little unsettling when you're seventeen and someone around your age suggests that something you like is...ancient._

_Heh, and the funny thing is...Mako wasn't even the one to make the comment. Loopholes, I tell you, will be the death of me..._

We've been hard at work fixing up the place to make it more festive. Aang has strung up so many decorations it almost looks gaudy. Toph has transformed the living room into some type of earthbending booth and Suki and Sokka are setting up a table with multiple knives and various steel fans (I have no idea how Sokka was able to get so many high quality swords on such short notice, but I'll admit it. They looked pretty authentic).

As for me, I was tasked mainly with food preparation cause no one else wanted to cook. Since this was mainly all for Mako, everyone agreed that I should get various dishes that came from all over the Fire Nation. I ended up making a lot of trips to the market (under disguise of course. Heaven knows how much chaos there would be if the Fire Lord was caught on a midday shopping spree...) for random things; lot's of fire flakes, pork kibbobs, you know...meat stuff.

Aang was nice enough to make a couple variations of his fruit pies, but the smells wafting through my noise were predominately Fire Nation.

As I glanced around at the various decor, I couldn't help the nostalgic feeling sweeping through me. The whole assemble was a reminder of wonderful fairs and attractions that promised candy, prizes, and maybe a couple stories for the kids to live by. It was like being five all over again...

"Well, what do you think, Zuko?" Aang asked me, completely decked out in his ceremonial robes.

I shrugged, sniffing a little at the barrage of panda lilis pasted along the hallways. "Eh...I think you _slightly_ overdid it."

He frowned while Sokka slung his shoulder over Aang, his wolf helmet shining brightly due to the candle lights I had set in strategic places along the living room. "Aw, relax guys. I think the flowers are spectacular!" He laughed loudly, patting Aang roughly on the back.

I grimaced. It was just so obvious. "Hey, Sokka...you don't need to force yourself to be happy."

"What? Forced?" He scoffed at me, waving his hands in obscene gestures. "Please, I'm fine! In fact, I've never felt better!" He strutted away then, returning to his endless gushing over every sword he had out on display. I shook my head.

"Do you think he'll be okay?" Aang gave me a worried look, one eyebrow raised.

"I honestly don't know. Probably." I rubbed a hand through my hair before sighing. "Don't worry...once Katara comes back everything will return to normal..."

"I'm not so sure." He looked away, whispering something that was probably not meant for my ears. "How could I let this happen to her..."

"Aang, she's with Korra. Nothing is going to happen to her. Besides, their time has been frozen until Mako finishes his visit with us."

"I know. But...do you think she'll be mad at me? What if her bending is gone?"

I sighed. "Aang...you need to-"

"GUYS! We're going to get hit!" Sokka's frantic voice interrupted me, as did his frenetic run that sent me and Aang to the ground.

Aang grumbled a little before glaring at Sokka. "What?"

Sokka's eyes were so wide I could clearly see the blue dancing in them. "Dude, there's a meteor headed right for us!"

I raised an eyebrow. "A meteor?" I walked over to the window, wishing with all my heart that Sokka's assumption was false. I gasped, holding a hand up so that I could see the anomaly. "Oh...I see..."

Toph made a huffing sound before stomping towards me. "So? Seriously, this isn't preschool. Just have Aang go out there and break it up."

I heard a faint squeak of protest before a hard crash followed. A few minutes later Aang came over to me, rubbing his forehead with an irritated expression. "It's always me, eh?"

I wrinkled my brow. "You're the only one that could get high enough to hit it without sending ashes everywhere. You might as well..."

He snorted before snapping out his glider in a fancy fashion. "Yeah, yeah. Be back in a few."

I shrugged, watching Aang soar into the sky, gracing the currents like the pro that he was.

As he moved upward the meteor changed course, swiftly turning at an odd angle that was physically impossible for a falling object. I narrowed my eyes and jumped out of the window, yelling, "Aang!"

"What's wrong?" Suki asked as Sokka followed me with a curious expression.

I frowned as the meteor continued souring erratically, heading straight for a nervous airbender. "I don't think that's an ordinary-"

"Aaaaaaaaaaghhhh!" His scream ripped through the air before the tumbling rock exploded, sending ashy coatings of debris into my eyes.

I coughed and wheezed, rubbing my throat as a strange sensation rolled through my body. I rubbed my eyes vigorously and opened my good eye wide enough in time to get a pretty clear view of someone's behind. "Oof!"

"Oh...my spine..."

The voice was rough and deep, a sharp contrast to Aang's soft baritone. I glared at my attacker only to gasp in shock. "Wha?"

"Oh...oh my god, something's moving under me!"

I spat as something pressed down into my side, immobilizing me. "Ugh, get off!"

"Bolin, the heck?"

_Bolin? Spirits help me..._ "Bolin?"

He smiled, rubbing his neck sheepishly before he finally allowed me to get up. "That would be my name, scary person."

I raised an eyebrow. "Scary person?"

"Gahhhhh!" I looked up warily before covering my face as Aang slammed into me. He shivered, shaking his head rapidly. "Ugh...I think I saw stars..."

I would have made a retort, but I was interrupted by a rather large hand hanging in front of my face. I tilted my head, meeting amber eyes straight on.

Mako gave me a sympathetic smile. "Uh...sorry about that."

It was very surreal. Seeing him on TV was one thing...but in person?

My hand shook as I grasped his, then I frowned, taking my hand back and rubbing it on my side before getting up on my own. "It's no problem," I said, calmly.

Inside, I was going ballistic. _Damn, I actually touched him!_

Aang mumbled, straightening out his clothes before offering a hand to Mako. "Greetings, Hotman!"

Sokka jumped into action, patting Bolin on the back. "Yes, welcome to Isle Nations, the best hot spot for any firebender looking for a date with destiny! Plus...a shot of history!"

Bolin yelped, throwing out these random hand signals that I assumed to be some type of fighting stance, but it just looked...weird. "Whoa! Wolf!"

Mako rolled his eyes. "Sheesh, Bolin. He's obviously impersonating a spirit."

Sokka coughed dramatically. "Not just impersonating...I AM A WOLF SPIRIT!" He ducked, waving his hand in exaggerating motions before howling. Aang chuckled nervously while Suki laughed.

Bolin was holding his stomach, bringing a hand up to his eyes. "Aha ha ha, this is good! Seriously, Mako! Do you see this?" He pointed towards Sokka before going back into guffaws.

Mako sighed. "Come on, Bolin. We need to get back to Korra."

I sighed. "Actually...well, how should I put this..."

Toph waved her hands, pushing me to the side (roughly, might I add...). "Relax, I've got this." She smiled in Mako's direction. "Hello, we come to offer you secrets from the past. You may even get some romantic advice, if you know what I mean?" She wiggled her eyebrows and this time I didn't stop my hand from slamming into my forehead.

Mako blushed. "Uh, that's very interesting...however..."

Toph punched his arm. "Look kid, you're stuck with us for twenty-four hours. We could do this the easy way, or we could do it the hard way."

Suki smiled sheepishly. "What she means is, this is a limited offer that we showcase to only a select group of people. We also have a number of things that would be very worthwhile for the Avatar."

Mako took a step back, glaring at her. "How do you know I'm with the Avatar?"

Toph smirked. "Cause you said it."

I snorted, wiping away the sweat that had formed on my brow. "We love you, Toph."

"I hope you're not being sarcastic."

Meanwhile, Mako's face was probably as bright as a tomato. Bolin shook his head, rubbing his brother's shoulder. "Man, Mako. You fell for the oldest trick in the book..."

"Shut it."

"So...would you guys like to take a peek at our humble collection?" Sokka smiled, giving them both a gaudy thumbs up. This was followed by Bolin's pouting face as Mako lowered his head.

Aang joined in. "Come on, you'll be impressed. I guarantee it!"

Mako sniffed, crossing his arms. "Alright. I guess we can stay for a few..."

"Excellent!" Sokka was clapping, but he kept sending me glances secretly, his eyes bulging.

_Seriously? I'm not a mind reader..._ "Something you have to tell me, Sokka?"

He shushed me, leading our guests inside before pulling me away into the hallway. He practically spat. "This is a disaster!"

I smiled, leaning my head back against the wall. "Hah...we just started it, Sokka."

Sokka groaned. "Ugh, I was so unprepared for this! And who invited the earthbender?"

I shrugged. "You're asking the wrong person..."

"You seem pretty calm, considering what's happened."

"We can last a day, right?"

Sokka glared at me before blinking several times. "What if they don't stay? What do we do then?"

"Well, obviously, we can't let them leave. We'll have to distract them long enough to get them to sleep at least." I pressed my palms together, looking through my fingertips. "Say, you still got that cactus juice?"

"Wha? NO!"

Usually, when I get stressed I take a walk. If not a walk, then I generally drink a glass of water and stare out the window or something else dull along the same lines. After a lifetime of getting through problems with violence, it was...challenging to try the passive way out.

And with Sokka? Yeah, It's something I have to work at. "Look, I know about your 'secret' stash under the floorboards. I heard you talking to Momo about it."

Sokka shoved a finger in the air, screeching. "That dang bat! Ratted me out like he always does!"

I groaned. "Just give me a bottle, Sokka."

He mumbled under his breath, walking into his room. Well, more like stomping...

I went back into the living room. Mako was staring at me.

It was kind of unnerving to see a bender from a different time period. I don't know what it was, perhaps the way he was standing?

His posture...it was perfect, a little too perfect. He's usually alert, I'd give him that. But his stances tended to be very linear, very controlled but still...lacking in fluid momentum.

When you bend it should be a natural extension of simple day to day expressions, forming through your body in ways that generally match a specific animal form. But when Mako bended it was like watching bending...mechanized, or something. Like a machine, all power but no intuition (at least, that's what I believed...).

Or maybe...perhaps I was judging too harshly. After all, his generation was living in a time of peace, and from the show we had seen many instances where people have survived, or even thrived, with inventions that don't even need bending.

_Could it be that our arts were being lost for a world that favored the mechanized city, a world that withdrew from tradition?_ Theories ran through my head like wildfire as Mako frowned. "Hey, uh...what was it..."

"Zuko."

His eyes widened. "I'm sorry?"

"My name. It's Zuko." My slim smile swiftly disappeared as I saw Aang making neck cutting motions from a few feet away. "Ah, I mean..."

"Zuko? Like...as in, the Fire Lord? You were named after the creator of Republic City?"

I rubbed my temple as I tried to come up with a lie. "Ah, no. My name...I mean, that's my nickname. My full name is...Akuzo."

"Akuzo?"

"Yeah, parents. You know..." I shrugged.

Mako turned away, picking up one of the various knives in Sokka's section. "My parents died a long time ago..."

"Ah..." It was one of those awkward moments where I wish a hole could swallow me up.

"Hey, all I'm saying is you should be grateful. Appreciate them while you can, y'know?"

"Actually...my mom left me and my dad's a douche."

"Ah...I see..."

"Yeah..." I glanced at the food warily, placing my hands at my sides. "So...food..."

Mako smiled. "It smells just like home..."

"You've been to the fire nation?"

"Yeah. It's sort of vague, but I remember the business trip my dad took me on. Bolin stayed with my mom back in the city while dad showed me around. It was pretty amazing, all the war ships and such. But...all I can recall was how vivid the scenery was. The volcanoes, the sun...I felt so powerful..." His smile grew bigger and I could see his eyes glazing with untold stories.

I tilted my head back, closing my eyes. "I see..."

"It was also the first time I ever produced a lightning bolt."

I gasped rather dramatically. "Oh...so, um, you can lightning bend?"

Mako shrugged. "Nothing special really." He paused, laughing softly. "Actually...I nearly killed myself..."

"But...you did it, right?" I couldn't stop my question from sounding flat.

"More or less. I had heard someone doing it on the radio and I just...got really focused. It's hard to explain, but at that moment I was determined to produce something that I could only dream about. Once I did it, I scared the heck out of my dad and I was grounded for a month. Not counting the two week stay at the hospital that is..."

"Ah..."

"Yeah, so when was your first?"

"Uh..." _What, had bending become easier or something? Could every firebender do it in his time?_ "Well...um, I actually...uh..."

Mako waved a hand dismissively before twirling his small souvenir. "Sorry, didn't mean to pry. I understand if it's sort of an...embarrasing affair."

I shook my head, staring obstinately at a wall to my left. "Not that, it's just...I haven't really, " I coughed, "...done it. Successfully I mean..."

Mako turned, his amber eyes piercing me to the bone. I had half a mind to lie and refute the whole thing, but he surprised me. "Oh, so you must be a pure light."

"Pardon?"

"Pure Light. You know, one of the few elite masters who trains at the volcano resorts..."

"You can enlighten me on the fine statistics. After all, we're assuming that I have no idea what you're talking about." I still had to play the act of an ancient role model from our world's legends of folklore and mythology.

Mako chuckled lightly. "Oh, you don't have to do that. You're pretty much wasting that stuff on me, I know my history." He smirked, gesturing towards his brother who was listening attentively to Aang explaining the fine aspects of pai sho. "My brother is a good target though. Seriously, I have to do everything for him..."

Though the diction was mocking, I could detect genuine concern leaking out of his statement. I didn't know how to feel about that. "Well, still, allow me to do my part right from this time forward."

Mako rolled his eyes before popping his knuckles. "Ah, let's see...their basically like our version of monks. They believe in practicing firebending the traditional way, and they tend to avoid learning about the dangerous techniques."

"Dangerous techniques?" I didn't have to force my snort. Dangerous and fire go hand in hand, not to mention the logic had decided to take a hike away from the statement.

"Yeah, they don't use lightning. It's considered to be sort of...how should I say this, inhuman? Something only worthy for the Gods alone." He made invisible circles over his head before walking toward the food table.

_Monks, huh? _Well, it was an interesting alternative...though my father would have dismissed that style as being a coward straight from the start.

"Oh my, are these _real_ fire flakes?" Mako was gaping at a common snack that I practically skimmed over in the stores.

I shrugged. "Yeah."

Another high, less masculine voice echoed behind me. "Fire flakes!" Bolin practically shoved me against the wall as he bounded over towards his brother, his cheeks flushed with excitement.

Aang looked a little annoyed, still holding a pai sho piece up. "I'd be careful, Bolin. They really weren't exaggerating when they added the word 'fire' for the title."

"Pfft, you're telling me." Sokka came out with a flourish, carrying about ten bottles.

_Don't tell me he's forgotten how to count. _"Uh, I think I asked for one bottle of prune juice, Sokka."

Aang gave me a weird look. "You can actually make juice out of that stuff?"

"Yes! And it's delicious, so can it...ergh..." Sokka frowned, apparently forgetting Aang's code name.

Aang chuckled. "It's Leonus the Third."

I struggled to keep a straight face. I had adamantly opposed this undignified idea from round one, but Aang and Sokka insisted. Well, no one could force Toph to change hers.

Sokka laughed. "Right, Lean the blah. So, who's ready for a drink."

Bolin raised his hand. "You've got one right here! Whoo!"

Mako shrugged. "If there's enough, I guess..."

"Alright, in the name of our treasured pasts, we ask the spirits to treat this interaction well and protect us from the naughty clutches of the mischievous monkey oden of _death_."

It was hard for me to tell if Sokka was pulling this out from his own childhood or if he made it up on the spot. I grabbed a bottle, determined to forget about the weird chant. "Well, here's to tradition."

Aang nodded, his face taking on a serious expression that reminded me that he was more than just a simple thirteen-year-old. "Agreed." He smiled at me chugging the thing in one go.

I smirked. Aang...well, he gets it. We both had major roles to fulfill, and we really couldn't afford to shirk our responsibilities. But sharing a glance, spending time with friends...that was okay too.

I pressed the bottle to my lips, ready to let the liquid enter past my throat. Then I realized that we were_ all_ drinking cactus juice.

Hell was about to break loose...

ooOOOOoooOOOOOooo

"...And so then I was like, it's a fluffy mushroom! It just wanted to be my friend, is there something wrong with that?" Sokka laughed pompously, as if he were talking over tea or something. Which, as evident from his posture, he wasn't.

Bolin simply grunted, nodding at random intervals. "...And noodles, man. Gotta love traditional water tribe noodles..."

"Exactly! But, back with the mushroom. It wanted to be MY FRIEND." Sokka was glaring now. Whatever convoluted generalization he was trying to make was completely going over Bolin's head, apparently.

Bolin nodded. "...Noodles, man..."

"Okay, that's like the gazillionth time you've mentioned noodles!" Sokka had his hand up in L formation.

"Did I? My bad. So...what were we talking about?"

"That does it! Face the wrath of the MOON!"

I instantly grabbed Sokka from the back of his collar, leaving his hands going in some weird windmill motion. "Knock it off."

"But he doesn't understand! No one understands! The mushroom is my friend, spirit is my witness!"

Bolin shrugged. He looked fairly calm for being whiped, I'll give him that. "You should probably eat some noodles. Oh, and for the record, fire flakes are so old fashioned!"

I chuckled bitterly at what a mess everything was becoming. Mako was standing next to me, sipping his drink rather cooly. "You guys trying to drug us?"

I smirked. "I can assure you that that's not the case. This is the norm when it comes to, uh...tropical drinks." I was pretty sure that I had a high tolerance to cactus juice because I generally wasn't talking nonsense. But, then again, I only had one bottle. At some point in the night, Sokka had nabbed like...twenty more.

"Right." Mako sipped his drink again before staring at me. He had been doing it an awful lot in the past ten minutes and it (I was sort of blaming the drink for this one) was causing me to get a_ little_ irritated.

"Something wrong?"

"It's just...how did you get that scar?"

Something inside of me snapped. "You really want to know?"

Mako nodded. His facial expression was so intense, so _serious_, that I had to stop myself from choking from laughter. "Well...it's a funny story..."

"Well, I asked so I obviously considered the fact that the story might be long but I don't care so I, therefore, you can happily oblige and tell me your dark tales of woo."

"...right. Well, for starters, I said it was a funny story, not a long one-"

"Uh, did I stutter? Dude, I don't care."

I felt my eyebrow twitch. "If you don't care why did you ask?"

Mako furrowed his brow, his amber eyes focused on my face. "I,,,I'm not sure...hmmmmm..."

"Yeah, well you can quit staring now..."

"Uh huh." His eyes steered away for about five minutes, hiding behind his eyelids for every five seconds. He sighed rather loudly next to me, than he stared right back into my face again.

Now I was ticked. "What now?"

He opened his mouth, then closed it. It was another ten seconds of me fuming before he opened his mouth back up...only to shut it close.

I growled. "Hurry up and talk!"

"Right, it's just...how did you get that scar?"

"You want to know how I got it?" I pressed my hands against the ragged flesh, taking great care to glare at him all the while.

"Yes, I'm very interested in hearing this..."

"Right, right...could you, uh, turn around please?" I made small circles with my fingers to demonstrate.

"Ah? I guess..."

"Good. Now, turn your head."

"This feels really one-sided. Are you trying to-"

I slammed him in the back of his head with my bottle. He fell to the floor, mumbling incoherently before dropping into unconsciousness.

I smiled. "There, now you're asleep." I twirled the bottle in my hand with ease before facing Bolin.

He had his mouth open in shock, spraying the area in front of me with fire flake crumbs. "Whoa, you just...you just..."

"Yeah, yeah...Aang distract him."

I heard a fairly large burp before Aang hopped over to me. "Uh, he already knows, dude. The alien invasion will commence..."

"Alien invasion?"

Bolin nodded. "You have taken down my brother, ruler of stoicville, and now I shall avenge his death. With fire flakes!"

I thought about how stupid his proclamation was for a second before deciding on a whim just to go with it. "Right, I'm King of Steel, ruler of the humans. I just killed your freaky brother, and now you will die!"

"No, I won't allow this! Everyone, come and ally by my side and help me fight this pai sho menace!"

Sokka paused from his making out session with Suki to make one comment. "Pass."

"We don't want your filthy, dumb, insecurities. Go back to outer space fool!" Toph screamed this at the top of her lungs before falling asleep. Yes, she literally passed out on the spot, snoring on the ground like a lamb.

For some reason I found this to be extremely humorous. "Well, it looks like you don't have anyone on your side." I circled him, holding a hand up to my chin. "Do you know what I do with strangers who ask for help from my citizens?"

"I don't know. Do you know what happens when Kings get corrupted?"

"I have a good assumption. Do you know what happens when earthbenders visit the afterlife?"

"Of course, do you know what happens?"

"I just asked you."

"Well, I'm telling you."

"...no you're not."

"Well...now you missed it."

"Do you know what I do to people who don't make sense?"

Bolin gave me this really weird smile. I hated it.

I raised my bottle. "This...is serious."

"Yes, indeed it is my friend. This...shall be the end. In fact...it is such a magnificent evening for an ending such as this. Oh man, I think I'm going to cry!"

"Now is not the time to cry, now is the time to fight for your honor!" I then proceeded to do this weird dancing motion that didn't fit the mood at all.

"No! This is tragic! Why...my heart is heavy with grief!"

At this moment, everyone was staring at Bolin. He squeaked before breaking into sobs.

I sighed. "Bolin, look to the side."

"Wha? Alright, I'm looking. Hey, there's nothing-" I cut him off with the smooth edge of my bottle. I pulled him over next to his brother and covered them with a black blanket.

_Mission accomplished._ "Cool, now they're both asleep. Okay, everyone! We can relax now!"

Sokka walked over me, patting my shoulder. "Yes, fire man, you have done well..."

Aang frowned at me before looking at the ridiculous set of brothers in front of us. "You didn't really kill them, did you?"

"No! They're just sleeping..."

"You sure?"

I was already leaning my ear towards their chests by the time Aang finished the sentence. "Yep, smart-ass heartbeat here, dopey heartbeat there..."

Aang took another gulp of his drink before answering me. "Good, because if you had killed them you could have destroyed the universe."

"What airhead told you that?"

"Avatar Roku...well, actually it was a panda dressed as Avatar Roku, but it was definitely..." He paused, sloshing his drink around before tilting his head, his voice as soft as silk. "We're drinking cactus juice, aren't we?"

"The mother of all hell. Yes, we so are."

"Right...remind me to get rid of the rest of Sokka's stash later."

"Will do."

We looked at each other then and smiled.

**{Aang} Sheesh, it's not even Saturday? We broke the pact...**

**{Zuko} Dude, I have bigger problems to worry about! You totally need to get off your lazy butt and help me out! The diner gets crowded at night, and now that the holidays are coming up everything has been crazy!**

**{Aang} Look, you only have one job, I have two...and I have to get ready to go back to school. Do you know how frustra-**

**{Zuko} Whoa, hold the phone! Why is the recorder on, Aang?**

**{Aang} Ah...heh heh, Hi everyone! Don't mind us, we're just...**

**{Zuko} Getting ready...for stuff...**

**{Aang}...We suck...**

**{Zuko} Yeah...we do...**

**Well, anyway, time to thank everyone that has made this story possible. Thank you everyone for the views, reviews, favorites, and follows.**

**As for reviewers themselves, we thank Alexandra989, Xx Senshi of Ankoku xX, AvatarPrincess, CreCra, and BlueSakuraKyuubi for their thoughts and insight. It's stuff like this that helps us improve and know what's working, so thank you.**

**{Aang} Ha ha, and guess what, Xx Senshi of Ankoku xX, we got new shields!**

**{Zuko} We did?**

**{Aang} Yes, so hit us with all you've got!**

**{Zuko} Uh...ignore him please!**


	9. The Small Things

**{Aang}**

_**You know, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about this whole situation and I've sort of figured it out now...**_

_**You see, people tend to ask me how I felt back then, what made everything so shocking, how I'm coping with the future implications of my death...**_

_**The usual counselor code or something.**_

_**But I truly believe what really made me crash was...the overall abnormal taint to the events. I never saw any of it coming, I never knew what to expect.**_

_**And...I think the unknown causes us, as human beings, more stress (if not fear).**_

_**People just don't like the unknown, we are fascinated by the unusual aspects of life but we would rather cuddle in our familiar coven where things are sort of expected. Not a whole bunch of surprises, good or bad.**_

_**Well, being an Avatar, I kind of have a healthier perspective on all this. I was forced into the unknown when I ran away, and nothing has ever really been normal since then (at least to me).**_

_**Imagine what it's like to enter a new world that has completely different customs, dialects, rules, and other actions deemed offensive (if you add a foreign language to the mix, then you'll really be overwhelmed).**_

_**As a traveler, I thought I was used to change. It was nothing I couldn't handle, nothing that could harm me or surprise me, I was used to stuff like this, right?**_

_**Wrong. I wasn't ready...and sometimes I think I'm still not ready...**_

[Excerpt from AvatarOfWisDom784 profile…]

**Chapter Nine: The Small Things and The Dangerous Ripple Effect**

Reasons for Chapter Title: _Eh, many actually. You know, people weren't kidding when they talked about stepping on butterflies and ruining the world with minute actions, when time travel is involved anyway._

_Well, try to take the problem seriously because in this chapter, one of us literally has to make a choice that not only endangers our entire people, but also himself._

_Brace yourselves,_ _people. _

So, ahem, this is what I woke up to that morning.

"To all heck, my ears are bleeding out internally!"

"Would someone shut him up?"

"Sweetie, it's kind of your fault."

"Suki, I'm in PAIN! Please, comfort before bashing..."

"Comfort? Oh, I'll show you comfort ya little coward!"

"Whoa! The heck-"

I opened my eyes with a moan, blinking a little rapidly as something silver flashed through the air followed by multiple battle grunts and inhuman screeches (that sounded way too girly for a guy. How can anyone's voice get that high? Even I'm not that bad...).

The scuffling continued for about five minutes until it slowed to a stalemate. By the time I was able to make out everyone clearly, Sokka had raised his sword threateningly while Toph growled at him from afar. Poor Suki was standing in the middle of this childish display, her facial expression a mixed form of apprehension and annoyance. "You guys need to get a grip on yourselves. We still have guests."

Sokka smirked. "Please, they're out cold. If our battle didn't wake them up, nothing will."

I turned, watching Zuko from the corner of my eye. He was staring at Mako with a queer expression, as if he were pondering something.

I walked over to him, my voice blurry with exhaustion and vagueness from the latter effects of cactus juice. "What's your deal with him?"

"Hmm? Oh, you're awake." He straightened himself before walking into the kitchen. I followed behind, covering my ears as Suki, Toph, and Sokka argued behind me. _This is so not the time..._

Zuko grabbed a cup from the cabinet and started rinsing it out, staring at the sink with tired eyes.

"Zuko?"

He filled the cup with water and handed it towards me wordlessly, eyebrow raised.

I thanked him briefly before downing it all in one go. It sort of hurt coming down, like running something slimy against rough skin. I coughed before setting the cup down with a hand over my mouth.

Zuko simply stood next to me, still with one eyebrow raised.

I rolled my eyes before shifting my head to make out the sleeping buffoons. "You didn't answer my question."

"...and?"

I sighed. "I'm sorry, I'm not trying to pry. Just curious is all..."

"Curiosity can be pretty dangerous, Aang." His eyes pierced through me and I almost flinched back. "It would be best for you not to follow it purely without precaution."

Anger flared within my chest and I walked toward him, practically jabbing a finger into his chest. "What are you trying to say, Zuko? You better not be blaming this on me!"

Zuko shrugged. "I didn't say anything of the sort. I just want you to be careful."

I crossed my arms, mumbling. "And you want to keep your secrets."

"Right." He leaned in towards me, his expression cool though his eyes were another story. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Alright, as of the end of the war and Zuko's coronation, Zuko and I have been pretty close. As fellow leaders in a new era, we sort of understand each other with our common stress levels and whatnot.

But then there were moments like that, moments when I kind of wanted to slug him.

...either that or the cactus juice was still talking, take your pick.

Anyway, Suki came to the rescue. "Come on, boys. Let's take some deep breaths and go from there."

"Right," We said in unison. Then our eyes widened in unison, and then we scowled in unison.

It was like every world was aligned in a straight line as we shared this rare surge of anger together, though it clashed violently between us.

A little tension never hurts now and then, but I knew there was so much I could take without doing something I regretted.

So I did the smart thing and walked away, sitting next to Mako and Bolin's sleeping forms.

ooOOOOoooOOOOoo

It took a couple hours for the cactus to completely wear off. In that space of misty minutes there were many moans, protests, arguments, and a couple lectures, all from Sokka.

Toph took out her stress by challenging all of us to a bending battle. It was sort of...intriguing since she forgot that Sokka and Suki weren't benders.

It was hard fighting her. My body ached throughout and I'm pretty sure I have a few bruises from the many times my back kissed the wall. Needless to say, eventually Zuko and I were successful in calming her down. Once that had been taken care of, Zuko promptly nodded in my direction and I could tell that whatever beef we had with each other was over.

For now.

Throughout all this Mako and Bolin didn't stir. I guess their systems aren't used to the cactus juice so its effects are a little heightened.

I was grateful for that. My acting skills were a little faulty at that time and I knew anything else random would just push me over the edge.

And that is, of course, the time when the White Spirit decided to make himself comfortable in our couch. "Ha ha, you are all very interesting mortals. I'd say that I'm impressed...but you all barely pulled this off by the skin of your teeth."

I'll skip the part where I jumped in fright like an idiot and move along to the part where I stomped towards him. "What more do you want? Do you enjoy watching us suffer! What kind of spirit are you?" I could feel the veins in my forearms heat up as my arrow pulsed. _Not now, keep it together..._

The spirit chuckled before rubbing my head. I nearly pulled away, his hands were extremely cold. "I see you have a hard time holding down your liquor."

I snarled. "I don't drink."

He shrugged before stepping in front of Mako and Bolin, touching their heads. "I see that they've been sedated. Hmm, that will be tricky to fix when I send them back..."

Zuko glared at him. "You said only Mako was coming. You never told us Bolin would be here too."

"Oh, you know how brothers are. It's kind of impossible to separate them." He waved his hands, as if he were talking about the weather. "You should be thanking me, Firelord. Now you'll be able to pay the price."

I narrowed my eyes as I saw Zuko's complexion literally get paler. "What price? What is he talking about, Zuko?"

He ignored me, walking closer to the White Spirit. "What do you need me to do?"

_He can't actually be considering this, right? RIGHT?_ "Zuko..."

He gave me a look that said 'Shut up' before glancing warily at the spirit. "You said before a while ago...as Katara was getting attacked by Amon...that I would have to pay some 'price.'"

The spirit smiled. "That is correct."

Zuko nodded. "So..."

"Come on, young lad. You're the leader of the Fire nation. Surely you already know..."

Zuko looked offended. The rest of us were just staring at the spirit as if he were a madman (which, he is).

The spirit seemed to exaggerate his motions as he snapped his fingers. Mako and Bolin instantly disappeared in specks of white light. What stood in there place was a strange rotating circle that grew bigger with each passing second. "Why do you think I sent you all two guests? Have you learned nothing about the ripple effect from this entire experience?"

Zuko simply stared at the portal, his face grim. "You did it so one of us could go to Republic City..."

My eyes widened. "Really? You mean one of us can go into Korra's time? And nothing bad will happen?"

The spirit spat in my direction. "Foolish child, of course something could go wrong! Why do you think I'm sending the fire brat in and not you?"

"What?" The comment slashed through me like a knife through the gut. "What do you mean?"

The Spirit slammed a hand against his forehead with a sigh. "Imbecile. Do you realize what would happen if Korra so much as looked at your face? Mutiny! Destruction! Desolation!"

Before anymore insults could pop out of his mouth, Zuko stepped in front of me. "I'll do it."

The spirit smiled while I spluttered in shock. "What?"

"Aang...it's the only way we can get Katara back." His eyes were soft now, apologetic. He placed a single hand on my shoulder. "I know how much you want to do this, but the risk is far too great. I wouldn't be a good friend if I let you face this."

"But, Zuko...you'll be by yourself, and..." I mumbled, looking away. "You would be easily recognized too..."

The White Spirit pat Zuko on the back, causing him to flinch. "Actually, Avatar, you'd be wrong. They'll just think he's an impersonator, or an actor. There are many people in that occupation these days."

I frowned. "Then why can't I go?"

"Hmm, how should I put this..." He rubbed his chin absently, humming loudly. He was mocking me. "Let's see, Korra is an Avatar, and you are an Avatar."

I sighed. "And there can't be two Avatars."

"Exactly." He smirked before snapping his fingers again. The TV instantly sprang to life, flickering through images in a rapid pace. "You'll have to hurry, Zuko. The next episode is starting."

Zuko's eyes widened. "You mean, I'll have to get her back in the midst of it all?"

"Yep. And you best hurry...if you don't get her back by the end of the episode...well, things will get messy from there." He winked before disappearing in his grande assemble of smoke.

Sokka twitched. "You sure you can do this, Zuko?"

Zuko stared into the portal, his jaw tense. "I don't think I have a choice. He specifically said that I would have to pay the price..." He looked at me again, smirking. "Just cheer us on from here, okay? I'll have her back before you know it."

It took a lot of energy for me to push back the waves of guilt, fear, and anger that wanted to burst out of my twisting stomach. "I believe in you, Zuko."

He gave me one last nod before jumping in the portal. It flashed and rotated precariously before getting smaller and smaller, turning into wispy lines and specks of black dust. The TV flashed on and off for the beat of five seconds before the screen went white.

Toph stretched before jabbing me lightly in the shoulder. "Alright, kid. Let's go support the arrogant butt-head."

I smiled softly before sitting next to her followed closely by Sokka and Suki.

It will be alright, he'll bring her back...

With that thought set, I took in a deep breath and waited as the credits jumped out of the sun, forming the title we had all memorized by heart.

_Korra. Let's see what awaits you next..._

**{Aang} Aaaaaaagh!**

**{Zuko} Duck! Duck!**

**{Aang} Oh my agni, they're actually shooting at us! They're shooting at us! Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man, oh ma-**

**{Zuko} Shut up and get behind the shield!**

**{Aang} SPIRITS HELP ME!**

**{Zuko} AANG! FOCUS!**

**{Aang}...sorry.**

**{Zuko}...**

**{Aang}...**

**{Zuko}...**

**{Aang} ? Did they stop?**

**{Zuko} For now it seems. Ugh, I'm not cut out for this. No one said that people would shoot at us...**

**{Aang} This is fanfiction. It's supposed to be dangerous, right? Well, according to the guidebook.**

**{Zuko} That book is full of crap. And the only reason anyone shot at us in the first place was because YOU asked them too!**

**{Aang} Well, I didn't expect BlueSakuraKyuubi to actually listen to me! Hell...**

**{Zuko} Ergh, we'll talk about this later. Right now we have an audience to address.**

**Thank you all for your patience and continued support for this story. Aang and I are having a blast writing it...but please, no weapons. Seriously...**

**{Aang} All reviews, favorites, and follows are much appreciated! As for reviews...**

**Thank you BlueSakuraKyuubi (even though you tried to kill us), Xx Senshi of Ankoku xX, Alexandra989, 205, Guest, Zuko's Princess, and a new reader, PercyJacksonWillKickYourButt (heh, I like that name).**

**Your thoughts and criticism are highly valued and appreciated!**

**{Zuko} Yes, thank you all for reading. Think of this as an early Christmas present from us.**

**{Aang} Yes, presents! We still have to go shopping now that I think about it.**

**{Zuko} Ugh, I am not looking forward to it. Black Friday was bad enough...**

**Well, happy holidays. We'll catch you all next time.**


	10. Bizarre Days

**{Zuko}**

_**Okay, um, I'm not sure where to start with this...**_

_**I can honestly tell you now that this part of the story is where stuff gets weird. I was bombarded with multiple things that just...don't make sense. Defy logic, destroy the nature of physics...**_

_**Abnormal is a key word to keep in mind for this episode folks.**_

_**Ahem, now that I look back on this I think I can at least make a couple solid conclusions.**_

_**First, I'm definitely not immune to the effects of cactus juice.**_

_**Second, even though I'm supposed to be a professional in the realm of politics...I am not known for my compassion or level of tact..**_

[Excerpt from TheHumbLEKIng900 profile…]

**Chapter Ten: Bizarre Days in Wonderland**

Reasons for Chapter Title: _Yeah, uh, everything was just a culture shock. You'd be surprised how much things changed...and how, uh, unprepared I was to really actually converse with people and stuff._

_Man, I think I got conned once. Ah, but don't tell anyone else I said that!_

The void. It was like I was walking through a tunnel made out of water and silk (weird description, I know). The air was really fresh and I felt at peace even with my heart beating away the minutes in free fall. I had taken about five steps when the White Spirit decided to be his normal self (By which I mean he totally appeared out of no where and pinched my neck).

You guys know me. Don't be surprised at how I reacted. "Freakin' lunatic!" I shot ten medium sized fireballs from my fists while he stood there, smirking at me. The fire passed through him, of course, before he started laughing.

"Works every time. Seriously, you firebenders are the best at this."

I scowled, already feeling my patience dripping out of my pores. "Would you just take me to Republic City already? I've got an Avatar to appease."

"Does it matter? You'll be appeasing _her_ soon enough. But, in more serious manners," He coughed. "I've actually come here to warn you."

_Ugh, more rules?_ "You should have made an instruction manual to go along with the TV," I said, my voice full of reproach.

"Ah, but you see...this isn't about simple topics such as images that flash on a box. We're talking about time travel, boy-"

"Right, stepping on butterflies and whatnot. Doesn't that only apply when you're going to the past? Besides, I'm not going to reveal my identity."

I had to step back as white flames danced around the floor around me. The air grew frigid and stale before burning up my entire arms and legs. I felt heat pressing against my throat as he shouted at me, "Do not test me! Do you have any idea who you're dealing with? Why don't you let me finish my damn explanation!"

_Whoa, crazy has a new name._ I raised my hands in surrender at this point because, really, there was nothing else to do. I was a little shell shocked to be honest. We'd seen this Spirit in his serious moments (as few as they were), but we'd never seen him actually get so fired up to shout, so to speak. Despite his carefree demeanor after that outburst I was reminded of my mortality.

With this solemn change of thought in mind, I backtracked, "Right, sorry. My mistake. You were saying?"

"Hehn, firebenders..." He mumbled, before walking in front of me. "I was going to warn you about the...eh, _Awakening Complex_."

"Awakening Complex," I repeated incredulously. It sounded like he made it up on the spot.

He smiled, probably reading my thoughts, before continuing, "Yes, it's a condition that many face in this situation...call it a limbo if you will. A state of nonexistent."

"Right."

"Come on! You're a smart young lad, stay with me now." He picked up the pace, making me run to keep up with him. "When you enter this place first, temporarily, you'll be in the world of a commercial."

"A commercial? How is that possible-"

"Silence! You will be in the commercial. Everything will seem different from your world, even if you see the friends you hold dear. You shall go along with whatever the screen says, is that clear?" I nodded, it was the only response I could get out before he started talking again. "After the commercial you will enter another set of relatable images. You'll see many people talking and working in 'sound booths.' Ignore them, they are not real. You will simply withstand their presence until the credits come on and then you will be transported to Republic City. Any questions?"

I rubbed my neck, not looking him in the face. "What's a sound booth?"

"Hehn, firebenders..."

I raised an eyebrow. "Something you have against us?"

The White Spirit stopped and turned towards me. He didn't say anything, and since he was wearing a mask I really couldn't perceive anything about his countenance. However, I could feel his eyes staring at me. It was definitely not a friendly gaze, far from it. "Do you want to rescue your friend or not?" He stated in an irritated tone.

_Of course he's not going to answer me, why did I even bother asking?_ "Yeah." I shrugged, though I was cataloging his response for later uses.

"Then jump." He pointed to what appeared to be a white ball of light. I hesitated before stepping in. Once I completely entered the strange ethereal mesh of light voices pressed against me from all sides.

"Time for a commercial break everyone!" This comment was practically screamed into my ears before the words started appearing in front of me:

_From the creator of **The Color of Truth is Red** and **Metamorphosis** comes..._

**_The Black Games_**_ by Mrs Pettyfer_

[Exerpt from chapter one]

**_A distant grinding wakes me and my eyes snap open in alarm. I sit there for a moment, trying to recall the last few seconds of my dream. Most of its fuzzy but I distinctly remember shouting and smoke and fire. It's the same dream I have at least once a week, though it's a relief I didn't wake up screaming. I sit up from my bed and see Sokka staring at me intently, pausing from sharpening his blade. This explains the noise that had awoken me and I can tell by his expression he's also pleased there was no screaming. He's usually the one here to comfort me when that_ _happens._**

_Whoa, what was that?!_ I glared and turned around, searching for the voice that was echoing at me from all sides. _Where is that coming from? And why does it sound so familiar? Is this supposed to be the commercial?_

_**"Morning," he says, his tone crestfallen. He rises and places his sword in his sheath, grabbing a spear and heading toward the flap of our hut. "I'll meet you at the Poles."**_

_**I nod before adjusting my sarashi so it's fastened tightly around my chest before slipping into an arctic blue kimono tunic. Someone must have placed my boots by the crackling fire in the center of our hut, and I wiggle my toes against the fur inside. Soft and warm, just how I like. I adjust the circular pendant around my throat, one of the few keepsakes I have of my mother. I don't remember much about her; she died when I was only a year old, but my dad says my brother and I look a lot like her. The same dark hair, tan skin, and ocean blue eyes. Then again, almost everyone in Province 9 has that same** **look.**_

_Provence 9?_ "Hello?" I instantly flinched as something smacked me in the back.

"Stick to the script!" someone yelled, and that was the end of it before I heard the girl speaking again.

_**Caldera City, the Fire Nation Capital, controls everything. We're surrounded by high walls of ice here in Province 9 – to keep out intruders we're told, but we know better. It's to keep us from leaving our province. Traveling to another province is illegal, punishable by imprisonment or even death. Few have tried, but they've all failed. They don't get very far and the Guards always catch them.**_

_**Everyone is still paying the price for the last invasion on the Capital. It was on this very day over seventy-five years ago, on the Day of Black Sun –the one day all Firebenders were rendered powerless as an eclipse fell over our world. A group of rebels invaded the Capital in attempt to overthrow the late Fire Lord Azulon, leader of the Fire Nation. The rebels fought well until the Firebenders regained power and the young Fire Lord was so furious he killed all the rebels and established the Black Games.**_

_**The Fire Lord issued today as the official Day of Black Sun and every year on this day, each of the twelve provinces must send forth one boy and one girl tribute between the ages of twelve and eighteen to compete in the Black Games. The Games typically last anywhere between one to five weeks and the rules are simple:**_

_**Stay alive.**_

Finally, the monologue ends and I was able to make out a girl standing in the distance. I squinted and raised a hand, opening my one good eye as wide as I could. "K-Katara?"

She doesn't acknowledge my presence. Instead, her form shimmers and suddenly the scene before me changes. I was transported from an empty, white expanse to a dark murky cave. Rocks jutted out at every angle and Katara was leaning close to me.

I coughed and try to make a fire ball so that I can see, but I couldn't move, couldn't control my fingers. Words appear in front of me and the scene changes again.

It's utter chaos.

Literally, everything was just moving in a blur as people fought all around me. I saw Mai wielding lethal daggers, Aang evaded and dodged, there was a moment where Sokka looked like he was about to faint, Katara was jumping from stones and jutting poles . . .

Insanity mixed in with the images as Azula appeared, shooting lightning, and all I could do was run around like an idiot. At times, I would be in the scene and I would have to follow Katara for some reason with nothing but a knife and various injuries (that appeared out of no where, mind you) to call my own. There was a lot of death, a lot of violence, more death, blood, blood, blood . . .

I didn't know if I should glare at the screen or thank the gods from the relief when these next words jumped into the air in jagged letters, ending my tumultuous nightmare.

[End of excerpt]

_Once bound by ice, now bound by fire. 12 provinces. 24 tributes. 1 winner. Let the games begin._

_**The Black Games**__ by Mrs Pettyfer_

[This commercial was sponsored by Starbucks. Drink coffee, it's scientifically proven to make your eyes bulge.]

I collapsed right then and there, wheezing. The whole ordeal had been rather painful and more jarring than what I was anticipating. _Well, at least it's over now._

I sighed before taking a straight path towards the next set of glowing lights. They were now yellow and very bright, I had to shield my eyes before entering this new portal. The next area I'm transported is even stranger than the first. There were random people running about, carrying pieces of paper and clipboards. There were faint outlines and sketches of people tapered to the walls somehow. The drawings were too vague for me to make out, but some of them looked pretty similar to Korra.

But all of that was nothing compared to what I actually saw in the corner. It was a woman with blonde hair, neatly tied in a bun, confined within a transparent room (was that supposed to be a sound booth?). She had these black things covering her ears that formed a headband on her head. There was also a black piece hanging out of the headgear, angled towards her mouth. She was standing at a pedestal, eyes skimming over something apparently important, all you had to do was see the wrinkles forming at her forehead as her eyes narrowed. She was obviously focusing on something.

A low, deep voice addressed her. "Alright, all ready?"

A mocking smile appeared on her face as she lifted one hand, giving the unknown speaker (to me, anyway) a thumbs-up. "Let's do this."

I flinched the moment her sentence registered fully in my ears. _What? This is very queer . . . she sounded just like Korra._ I frowned and took a step toward her, but something was keeping me from getting closer to her. I looked down and saw that I was my feet were stuck in some dark, murky puddle of ink. The black substance crawled up my legs and waist, pulling me down. For some reason, I wasn't as afraid as I should have been. It was like I was in another trance when I reached toward the stuff, letting more of it drag me under.

Pretty soon my body was submerged, surrounded by blackness with no sounds for comfort. It didn't occur to me that I couldn't breathe because I was able to hold it without losing air. It was a pleasant feeling, actually, swimming in ink. I know, I sound like a fool but . . . it really was like riding on top of a lake, or skimming the surface essentially.

But of course, all of that pleasant feelings and confidence was immediately zapped out of me when my body shot out of the murky water like a canon. Concrete asphalt met my shoulders first before my body rolled in a strange sideways wobble. My momentum finally stopped once I slammed into a wall.

Sound painful? Well, it was. That's where training comes in. I simply grunted once before standing and massaging my back briefly with one hand. See? Elementary.

Ahem, well now you're probably wondering why I'm dragging this out so long. Trust me, I know. I wouldn't be wasting your time with this stuff if it wasn't important to the story. But it all is, really. The weird beginnings of a journey are annoying, but also necessary.

Now, time for the good stuff. What is my first memory of Republic City? No, it's not the landscape or the architecture. Not the food, not the stupid radios, not the cassette players, not even the slight changes in languages or wording in newspapers.

Nope. All of that has carries various levels of significance, but it isn't what struck me first. The moment I opened my eyes, my very first impression that I get of the city was this: A green, boldly outlined statue of Aang, proudly holding out his staff as a welcoming gesture to newcomers. Lights shimmered around the base, making it stand out more in the night as a pale white clock sang into the air, marking the hour. I was speechless.

So for about . . . I don't know, forty minutes? Yeah, I was just gawking at the tower while people walked past me, probably thinking I was some homeless man off the street or something. The stares weren't really bothering me, but I had to force myself up after realizing that I wasn't here to appreciate the scenery.

It was time to bring Katara back.

* * *

After wandering around for the next two hours I knew it was official: I hate cities.

It really wasn't that hard to figure out. The atmosphere itself was bringing me back to the days when I was living in Ba Sing Se. Not that the people were very secretive about their opinions and whatnot, just the fact that they could express themselves more openly sort of made it worse.

I guess people in the future can still be just as inconsiderate and insensitive, even when their society is mountains away from the restrictions I grew up under in my time. It had grown to the point where I was starting to get ticked. The only headway I had gained at all was meeting that weird homeless man from the bushes. You know, the guy that asked Korra for the fish?

Yeah, there's something wrong with that dude. What? I'm being honest, not judgemental. Hah, okay, I was really tired by that point, alright?

Anyway, things were looking bleak. All I had with me was about thirty copper pieces, fire nation currency. I didn't even know if anyone would take it. My temper was close to broiling from the agitation of all this nonsense when I was stopped by another stature, this time of me.

Again, I was reminded of my mortality and I shuddered. It was karma, that's for sure. I could now see why Aang got freaked out initially when this show started. I generally sort of ignored that aspect of the show, you know, that I could be _dead_. You can't help but flinch when faced with something like that, no matter how ready you are.

It was at this moment, when I stood looking at this show like an idiot, when a boy hissed at me before gesturing wildly for me to walk over. I raised an eyebrow before walking up to him. His attire was slightly disheveled and dirty, complete with a grey hat that seemed to big for him. His hair was a rough and coarse, a dirty brown that fell right at his neck in jagged lines (he obviously cut it himself). He seemed scrawny too, short and scrawny. The only thing that contrasted with his dark demeanor was his eyes, full of some mysterious light, as if he were full of knowledge.

Curiosity drove me towards him, and I leaned down, looking him fully in the face. "Were you waving at me just now?"

He immediately shushed me before pulling me to the corner of the base of my statue, looking around at all the random people walking by before turning back to me. "You're new here, aren't you Mister?"

I shrugged. _Might as well set up some alibi._ "I'm from the Fire Nation. My family is sort of . . . traditional so to speak. This is actually my first time here."

"Hmm, I thought so. You did seem pretty lost back there." He stood back, raising his hands behind his hair in a somewhat arrogant pose. "You know, I'm sort of the top dog when it comes to information around these parts. You looking for something, stranger?"

"Right. Well, actually, yes I am. Do you happen to know the way to Air Temple Island from here? I got sidetracked." I scratched the back of my hair.

"Sure," He coughed then held out his hand, showing the barest hint of a smirk. "But it will cost you."

Humph, of course. "Well, how much?"

"Eh, we're pretty far . . . better be ten yuans."

_Crap!_ "Uh, all I have is copper pieces." I showed him my bag, trying to hide my embarrassment. I mean, seriously, what Fire Lord has ever been in this position?

The boy took my bag (well, more like snatched), scouring the content so thoroughly I almost expected him to be checking for fakes, which was probably the case. "What the heck? This don't look like Fire Nation money? I don't recognize these markings . . . "

"Yeah, well I'm sure it's pretty valuable. They're pretty rare, at least where I come from. They've been in my family for a long time." _And, of course, I hand off these precious "coins" to a stranger. Ugh, he's thinking I'm easy pickings._

"Hmmm, I guess they will do." He tips his hat towards me before smirking fully. "The name's Skoochy. It was a pleasure doing business with you."

Just before I can thank him the rascal runs off, chuckling with mirth along the way. And that, my friends, is how I got punked on the first day in Republic City. I was officially pissed, but I tried to reign in the anger. No one needed to see a foreigner losing it. All I had to do was play my cards right and ask the right people.

After all, I'm a politician. It was time to put those persuading skills to good use.

oooOOOOOooOOOOooooo

"Agh, you fire rat! Away!"

"Teens these days, can't get an education."

"Mommy, the scary firebender is staring at me."

"Hey you, out of the store! You stink worser than skunkfish on rye bread!"

"Ah, it's you again! You know, there's plenty of room here in the bushes. Not much of us here, you see. You'll fit in find and dandy around here. Now, wanna help me get one of them fishies?"

"Firebenders, always have to make a mess of things. Shame . . . "

Yeah. I'm not going to tell you about the rest of the day. It sucked, that's all you need to know. I guess I had been mainly traveling through the 'Equalist' segments of the town because most of the civilians I met weren't very helpful. People's lives in the city were very busy, apparently, and I just kept getting in the way.

Well, now we will cut to a memorable scene in the marketplace where I actually make some headway. Sort of.

"Look, son, this here is a fine peach. Take it or leave it." The man was staring at me like I had rabies. Let's just say, I didn't appreciate it.

"Look, I don't want to buy anything. I just want directions to . . . "

"If you ain't buying then I don't want you here. Sheesh, benders always waste my time."

"And if I were a nonbender?" I was ready for a fight, I had had it up to here with these people.

"Then I would be calling the police, fool. You think it's easy running a peach-selling business, eh? Standing in the sun for Spirits' knows how long." He continued yapping and complaining.

_Tangents. Lovely._ I turned and forced myself through the relentless crowd to reach the center of the marketplace. It was at this moment that my amber eyes met a pair of sharp, green eyes. I gasped while Bolin practically dropped ten oranges and squealed loudly. "Mako, it's _him_!"

"What?" Mako took one look at me, then his eyes narrowed. "Spirits, it is him!" His eyes narrowed further (if that's even possible), which wasn't a good sign.

Let's see, referring to me as 'him' was suspicious enough. The squeal and sharp looks made it official. _They've obviously got some beef with me, I have no idea why._ "Uh, I see you two made it home safely."

Mako scowled before waltzing over to me, jabbing a single finger towards my chest. "Yeah, and we're still suffering through some pretty hectic migraines, thanks to you."

"Right." I lowered his hand. "Look, I'm sorry about that. You guys just don't have the stomach for traditional herbs I guess."

"Don't play dumb!" Bolin took this time to follow his brother (which by that I mean invading my personal space). "You tried to drug us, you jerk!"

I crossed my arms. The whole thing was getting ridiculous by this point. "Look, we meant you no harm. The truth his we're trying to find a friend. She's a part of our troop and we knew that you guys had found her. We just want her back." I didn't want to say Katara's name. As thoughtful as she was, she probably already made herself an alias.

Mako's eyes darkened. "So you did drug us on purpose, trying to mess up our game for the tournaments."

Bolin gasped at this before glaring at me like I was a demon. "You're with the Wolfbats, aren't you? This was all a ruse to get us out of the tournament!" He huffed at the end, as if the accusation was going to pummel me on the spot.

I sighed. "Right, your brother already informed me."

Bolin blushed just as Mako started cracking his knuckles. "If I were you, I'd leave. Now," Mako said, tone all authoritative and crap.

_You've got to be kidding me._ "If I were you I'd fess up and give me the information I need get my friend out of here. You don't know her, and you sure as hell don't know me!"

Yeah, I let my temper take control on this one. What else did you expect? It's Mako. Someone had to set him straight. After all this time I spent scavenging, I needed to get my anger out somehow. These two were probably the only people who could actually lead me to Air Temple Island without complications. Except for, of course, themselves.

Plus, we're talking about Mako here. He belongs in a different category entirely . . .

As I stood there, glaring, I failed to notice the large crowd forming around us. _Great, just great._

Bolin's eyes widened as he looked around. "Ah, Mako. People are staring."

Mako simply grunted before striking an offensive pose, eyes never leaving my face. "I won't let this guy hurt you, Bolin, or jeopardize our chances at the pro-bending tournaments. I have a bad feeling in my gut, I don't trust him."

_Same here, buddy._ "Look, we don't have to fight. Violence is never the answer." What? There's no harm in spouting a little airbender propaganda here and there. I had to give him a chance to run, it was only fair.

But of course, he doesn't. Idiots will be idiots. "We're not going anywhere."

Bolin nodded and went into a stance right next to his brother. "You got it, bro."

I almost wanted to gag right then and there. _Let's just get this over with._ "Fine, but we'll settle this in private."

Yep, that's right. Zuko still has a brain despite the madness. You see, I had no idea if Mako and Bolin were going to win their probending matches or not, but if they ever had a chance at winning it would be pretty bad for the crowd to see two professional fighters get beaten by some random foreigner.

Then again, we're using a very loose interpretation of the word 'professional' here.

Mako glared at all the spectators, as if he just realized they were all there. "Alright, follow me."

It was strange, walking through the crowd with them. Everyone gave us space, as if were walking straight to executioner's table or something. It was a similar atmosphere to the one at my agni kai, though it was obvious people cared less about our physical well-being. They were probably just looking forward to the newspaper story on this event, which is why discretion is key. _He better know a good place_, I thought as I trudged forward, trying to keep an apathetic outward appearance. But inside I was just aching to end it all.

All I needed to do was injure them enough in order for me to restrain them, then Korra would show up and I would be able to bargain with her for Katara. It seemed like a good plan at the time, and I was confident enough in my skills to accomplish this task.

It was all supposed to run smoothly, but then things got a little tricky. Just as we entered an alleyway, right before Mako and Bolin were ready to start their monologues about justice or something else lame, I saw a flicker of the White Spirit's form. He shook his head slowly, then disappeared.

And that . . . well, that's when the _episode_ started.

**{Zuko} Wow, it's a new year. We're in 2013, the second season of The Legend of Korra should be coming out in a few months (hopefully), and . . . I just got over the most annoying case of Writer's Block known to man.**

**{Aang} Not to mention you were sick and stuff.**

**{Zuko} I don't think they'll forgive us for that, Aang. They saw updates streamlining through the computer, they just weren't for our story.**

**{Aang} Well, it's not our fault! We're on a schedule here!**

**{Zuko} Yeah, yeah. Ahem, well folks I hope our absence didn't make you guys too mad. We've been so busy this past month it's not even funny. I literally had about 30% of this chapter written and . . . it just wasn't coming out right at all. Ugh . . .**

**{Aang} Don't worry about it, Zuko. I'm sure they understand. Now, get behind the shield and suffer through the haters like a man.**

**{Zuko} And this shield helps make me a man how? And . . . wait a minute, what are you reading?**

**{Aang} What?! Nothing!**

**{Zuko} Hand it over!**

**{Aang} NO!**

**{Zuko} What the heck?! You read the rest of The Promise without me? How could you! I've been waiting for the release for a month!**

**{Aang} I couldn't help it, okay? Sheesh . . .**

**{Zuko} We WILL discuss this later.**

**Ahem, anyway. Time to thank everybody. We appreciate Zadoc, Country Appaloosa, Xx Senshi of Ankoku xX, Kataanglover138, BlueSakuraKyuubi, Guest, Alexandra989, and PercyJacksonWillKickYourButt . Your reviews help us improve and see what's working, so thanks again.**

**All favorites and follows are much appreciated as well.**

**{Aang} Yep, you guys are awesome. Seriously. Also, _The Black Games_ is an actual fanfiction story that I think you should all check out. Very well written, Mrs Pettyfer takes the idea of the Hunger Games and applies it to the Avatar world perfectly. I highly recommend it.**

**{Zuko} Again, I haven't read it. What's with all these violent stories you're reading, Aang? **

**{Aang} I like understanding the masses, it doesn't change my beliefs if that's what you're thinking.**

**{Zuko} Right . . . **


	11. The First Connection

**{Aang}**

_**The laws governing our universe can be a tricky thing. You're about to see how the fragile lines connecting our world to the future would slowly break apart.**_

_**There's always an effect here, an action there, a rippling there, and a mass-movement outside the TV screen. Certain people just can't interact with each other in this situation, at least according to the White Spirit. **_

_**Unfortunately, in our case we pretty much came into contact with every single person we were supposed to avoid.**_

_**And that, my friends, is where things start to get ridiculous.**_

[Excerpt from AvatarOfWisDom784 profile…]

**Chapter Eleven: The First Connection**

Reasons for Chapter Title: _Well, to be honest, there's not much here. Let's just say . . . some meetings are best left unmentioned. But for the purpose of this story, I'll have to share it with you now._

It's been a while since I've been comfortable sitting in front of a TV. My back always tenses up, I feel a slight twisting sensation in my stomach, and my hands twitch as the show starts. It used to be so bad that Zuko banned me from watching TV for a whole month, but that's jumping a little too far into the future.

Anyway, back to the present.

Oh wait, you don't remember what happened to me the last time you were all here? Seriously? I guess I shouldn't be complaining, what has it been . . . three months? Four?

Ah whatever. Last time we left off I was sitting in front of the TV (which, if you guys haven't already guessed is sort of, well, my spot. I. Always. Get. The. Front. _Period._ I wasn't letting anyone block my view of something as important as my future, especially with Katara missing in it) waiting patiently to find out how Zuko was going to pull this rescue mission off.

There, recap over. If you don't remember, go back and read. Sorry if that came out a little harsh, but I'm trying to capture the intensity of this moment. So, excuse my rudeness.

Now, at this point I sort of almost dismissed Korra. What did you expect? The love of my life was stuck in there, not to mention the fact that she could be bending-less? For the life of me, I've never been more scared than I ever have been staring at the screen. All I could think was, Zuko, Zuko, Zuko, please get her back, Zuko.

And that honestly sucked. I couldn't do anything but sit there! Unbelievable, the Avatar sitting and waiting to watch his own girlfriend get rescued. Again, unbelievable. I think by this point everyone else knew that I was in a bad mood because they gave me my space. Even Toph. She didn't tease me or anything, which I still have to thank her for.

Anyway, Korra captured my attention again in a very simple manner. I blinked once and Korra jumped out of bed at the same moment, battling a couple of Chi-blockers.

_How in the world did those guys get in her room?_ I shivered and gawked at the screen, already on edge.

Korra seemed to get more panicked as my anxiety increased, she was really giving it her all. But I could tell the attack had surprised her. Soon there were enough Chi-blockers and she was forced to kneel on the floor. Then from the shadows Amon stepped forward, face masked as always, hands lowered to destroy what defined Korra's destiny, what formed her identity.

I felt myself hyperventilating the moment his hands touched her forehead. _Oh no, please no._ A throbbing pulse boomed from my wrists and hands and my back tensed as the area surrounding my spine flared up, like a bruise being rubbed vigorously.

"Aang!" I barely heard Sokka's shout before Toph hugged me from behind, squeezing roughly.

It surprised me so bad that I shot up, jumping three feet in the air. Toph held on the entire way, then slammed me down against the wood, keeping me pinned. I opened my eyes in time to see Korra scream, her body jolting up as sharp and fast as my jump, shaking as Naga nuzzled against her for comfort.

Hell, I thought my dreams were bad.

"Aang, you need to calm down, alright?" Toph wasn't yelling but her tone still instilled authority. She hadn't let go of my arms yet, not that it would have helped if I had entered the Avatar State. I swallowed, appreciative on so many levels that Toph had that kind of bravery and fearlessness.

"I-I'm fine."

"You sure? Think you can man up for thirty minutes?"

I nodded slowly, trying to relax. "Yes."

Toph got off then sat beside me, blowing hair out of her face. I could hear Sokka muttering under his breath and I could feel Suki staring. I sat up, cracked my knuckles, took in a deep breath, then turned to face them. "Sorry about that."

Sokka stared back at me, his eyes showing some compassion. "You're that worried, huh?"

"Of course I am," I said. "Sokka, you know how much I love Katara."

He smiled lightly, the kind of smile I had seen him give to Katara often. A brotherly smile. "I know," he said before turning back to the screen.

I did the same, somewhat embarrassed at having a reaction like that. It had been strange, I could only think of how frightened Korra had looked when Amon approached her, lowering his powerful hands. Huh, never thought I would say that about Korra. I rubbed my own elbows, thinking briefly about all Korra had experienced. In some ways I was starting to see how harsh I had been towards her.

Bending was all she knew, a physical and emotional part of her. A source of accomplishment and pride. A sense of freedom. To have all that taken away . . . well, I can easily see how that would destroy anyone.

Shortly after that scene, we all got a nice view of another council meeting in which Tarrlok got the other members (besides Tenzin) to approve his plans for a task force in order to take down Amon. To be honest, besides the golden luminescent aura surrounding them in the grand court room (well, it looked like a court room to me anyway) I was more interested on what Tarrlok said about an event that had happened forty two years ago then the current Amon issue.

Basically, he made a reference to another prolific criminal, a guy known as Yukone. The moment the name was uttered I felt something press against my chest, tugging at my heartstrings. This man was someone I had successfully taken down and turned in. It's hard to describe how I felt when I realized this little tidbit, but for some reason I was more aware of who I am as the Avatar, and what I have yet to become. It's sort of silly going back on this now, but when you literally have such a detailed view into your future . . . it really changes your perspective on things.

History has repeated itself time and time again, and now with Amon rising up I knew at this moment that I would have to put my differences aside and truly accept her role as the new Avatar. I know, how dense can I be, right? Should've done that by the first episode, eh?

Well, to be honest, this wasn't an easy decision for me. I had always seen myself as a pretty tolerable person. There were many customs and motifs that I was still (and still am) learning to take into account. I've had to adjust to a world that's moved a century ahead of me, and now, after watching Korra sweat bullets as Amon expressed the revolution's invulnerability, it was time for me to start respecting Korra as her own person and cheer for her myself.

These thoughts settled in the back of my mind as I bit into my bottom lip, just as the scene changed abruptly and it showed a dark haired girl riding on a motorcycle (correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that's the only way I can describe it. Unless you want to use the term Mopad, which is what the show uses. Agh, alright, alright, I'll stick to the source material).

She went down the street in a straight fast line. The light settled in her hair and I could see her dark, purple lips spread into a smile. Her suit of red and burgundy leather contrasted nicely with the golden plating on the motorcy-Ahem! Sorry . . . the leather contrasted nicely with the golden plating on the _mopad_ and her goggles-shielded eyes filled with confidence and ease. She was attractive.

I titlted my head. _Why are they focusing on her? Is she important to the story?_ I frowned right when the screen started blinking in and out, white static messing up the image. My eyes widened. "What's going on?!"

"Man, don't tell me the thing is broken!" Sokka ran up to the TV and started banging at the top with his fist. This made the image shake up more.

"Sokka, stop! You're making it worse." Suki pulled her boyfriend away with a frown and Sokka just grinned at her sheepishly, trying to hide his worry no doubt.

I shivered and stared again in time to see the image clear up. Zuko and Mako were now standing with confused expressions in the middle of the street, right in the way of the mopad driver. "Zuko!" I sat up again and Toph held me down by the shoulder to keep me from jumping.

_"What the-how did we get here?"_ Mako asked, eyes wide with amazement.

_"Look out!"_ Zuko pushed Mako out of the way, taking the hit. His body did a somersault in the air as the driver skid to a stop after hitting him with the side of the vehicle. He collasped, moaning three feet away and Mako just stared at him.

Sokka slapped his forehead. "What kind of idiot jumps in the middle of the street? Aw, Zuko . . . "

"I don't know, Sokka. They appeared out of nowhere, I don't think they were doing it on purpose." I swallowed. Seeing Zuko had appeased my worries somewhat, at least I could take comfort in the fact that he made it to Republic City safely.

Well, except for what just happened here. It really looked unatural though, Zuko _wasn't_ there before. There had to be a subtle explanation for this, I couldn't think of what it was though.

The woman got up from her ride, lifting her goggles, mouth wide open in shock. _"Are you okay? Shoot, I literally didn't see you guys there."_

Mako looked at her then back to Zuko. _"Ah . . . I'm not sure myself. We were at the other side of town."_ He rubbed his face, still trying to wrap his head around the location shift.

Zuko just looked miserable. He sat up, face pale and livid. _"Spirits help me, mother of Agni . . . "_ He swore again, standing. _"Hell."_

The woman walked up to him, eyes shining with worry. _"I am so sorry. Really, I didn't see you. Do you want me to call a physician?"_

_"No, please, just don't."_ Zuko stepped a few feet away from her, as if he were slightly repulsed. _"Ugh, where are we?"_ He rubbed his chest as he said it.

_"Um, well, we're by the train station."_ She took in a deep breath, clutching her head. _"Ugh, I'm so embarrassed."_

Zuko grunted, obviously trying to hide his injuries. I could tell though, he must have been hurt bad. _"It's nothing, I was just interrupted from something important is all."_ He glared past her, staring at Mako. Mako narrowed his eyes, clenching his fists.

I gasped. "They had been fighting?" I performed a somewhat elegant facepalm. "Seriously?"

Toph shrugged. "How else is Zuko supposed to find Katara? Mako and Bolin know more about the city than us."

"Yeah, but, violence? Sheesh." I shook my head. "Besides, I thought they were untouchable. They're the main characters."

"Aang, Korra is the main character. As long as Zuko doesn't mess her up, things should be fine." Sokka nudged me in the side.

"I don't know. I'm getting the feeling that something isn't right about this." I glared at the screen carefully just as conversation started up again.

_"At least let me take you both to dinner, it's the least I could do."_ She smiled. _"My name is Asami by the way."_

_"Sure, that sounds fine,"_ Mako said, beating Zuko who looked like he was going to reject the offer. _"I'm Mako."_

Asami's eyes widened to the size of saucers as she did a double take, looking Mako up and down. _"No, no way . . . It's you!"_ She did this strange little hop, clapping her hands together briefly, as if in compensation of a squeal (you know, the fangirl kind. I can tell which one it would have been by her facial expression). _"You play for the Fire Ferrets."_

Zuko rolled, muttering something I'm not really comfortable with saying. I'm sure your imaginations can produce much worse as far as an explicit. Mako, with his slightly tainted cheeks (yep, he was blushing folks) looked pleasantly surprised. _"Ah, I didn't take you for pro-bending fan,"_ he said modestly, though I bet there was a flirty undertone there.

Asami wiped some hair away from her face before holding a hand out towards Zuko. "Then I guess it's only fair that I show you my gratitude since you pushed him out of the way after all." She laughed before tilting her head. "You're quite the hero."

Zuko looked like he wanted the ground to swallow him up. His facial expression just screamed pissed (though I think it was mainly just because of the pain. He always denies that to my face, but I know better). Anyway, he was kind enough to at least shake her hand with a small grunt. She nodded once then clapped her hands, glancing back and forth between them. _"So, I'll meet you both at Quan's then."_

Mako now had on a sheepish expression to replace the dazed, borderline idiot borderline doofus expression (lovesick, if you're not getting my sarcasm)._ "Ah, Quan's? That fancy diner around the block? I'm afraid me and my . . . ergh, acquaintance aren't properly dressed."_ He laughed, though it sounded more like an awkward snort than anything.

I couldn't help but smirk while Zuko turned his head, smiling discreetly towards directly towards us, or the viewers I should say. I mean, come on! Zuko is royalty. He's just so above them on the totem pole, it's just . . . just . . .bah! There's irony, alright? You guys get that?

No? Ah, whatever . . .

So, anyway . . . _"Don't worry, I've got that covered. All you guys have to do is show up."_ Asami was strapping her goggles back over her bright eyes, smiling before getting back on her mopad. _"So, tomorrow at six?"_

Mako nodded while Zuko just shrugged. She waved at them before driving ahead. At one moment before she disappeared from view, she turned her head, smirking slightly. However as her eyes kept switching from Mako and Zuko in the distance soon her crooked smile disappeared and only a grim frown was left behind.

I raised an eyebrow at the odd gesture. "What's up with her?" I asked.

"Pfft, I don't care." Toph said, rather nonchalantly of course. "What you should really be asking is what happened to Zuko. I bet he messed something up."

"We already discussed this, Toph," Sokka grumbled, sounding somewhat offended. "Mako equals minor character. Korra equals major character. He's good to go."

I bit into my bottom lip for the second time that evening. They were shaky assumptions, but I wanted to believe them badly. At the state I was in, I just really didn't need anymore surprises.

Luckily for me, the universe for once decided to finally cut me a break. In the next scene I was finally able to see my girlfriend for the first time since "The Revelation" episode. My body instantly relaxed as we were given a nice inside shot of Tenzin's home. It was a little bit more modern than I was used to, but I could still make out the airbending influences in the set up. Just the way the family were sitting illustrated the airbender's philosophy and style.

My breath was caught in my throat as beautiful, caramel skin filled up most of the top frame followed by a luscious orange robe fastened at the waste with long, lavender sleeves that proved to make her blue eyes stand out that much more. Her dark brown hair was tied into a bun and her lips were full and in a grim line. Fire blazed in her eyes, sharp and piercing. I couldn't look away even if I wanted to. "Katara," I muttered, voice so quiet that I think only Toph could make it out.

Sokka and Suki gasped beside me while the screen opened up, showing Katara's full body. She sat right next to Korra, and the resemblance almost scared me. They could have easily passed as sisters.

My heart blasted violently in my chest and I covered my mouth. Seeing her in one piece, okay, next to my next reincarnation . . . the relief was both exhilarating and overwhelming. I could feel the faint energy of all the past Avatars responding to my bubbling emotions, not strong enough to elicit the Avatar State, but close to the surface. My vision meshed together and the TV melted with the floor as I let the tears slide down my face. I knew it was a somewhat irrational response, but I felt like it would be easier to calm myself if I just let the water flow.

Just let it all go, push and pull out slowly. Waterbending, only on a more physiological scale instead of physical.

Calm yourself Aang, let it all go. Just let it go.

Repeat, cycle, repeat. Cry, but not too much, and definitely _don't_ hold it in.

Breathe in, breathe out. Cry, uncurl your clenched fists. Breathe. This technique worked for about five minutes in which I almost missed Tarrlok coming into the home, harassing Korra about the task force. This is actually where my memory gets a little fuzzy, I'm not sure if this was a hallucination or not, but I'll state three things that I know for sure happened before I nearly lost it.

One: Katara didn't say a word, not one. Her face was stuck in that half angry half grim expression. It never changed.

Two: Korra refused Tarrlok's offer. For the first time I saw genuine fear and reluctance in her eyes, not pride or arrogance. Her boastful mask was replaced with a modest attitude to hide her true feelings.

Three: I swear, just as my tattoos are as blue as the sky, on the outside of our TV I saw a faint blue outline of a person. A man, a grey eyed man with a light beard and a soft, peaceful expression. His airbender garb was modern, yet slightly more traditional than Tenzin's. He caught my frantic eyes and smiled.

And this is all I remember before my body was flung away from the TV as an explosion rocked through our living room, sending my ears ringing as someone roared beside me. All air was knocked out of my chest painfully as my back hit the wall, sending my body at the ground in an uncompromising heap. I opened my eyes warily to a towering white figure, a pale mask.

I heard the spirit scowl at me before covering my eyes with his cold hands. Instantly my body froze before I welcomed the embrace of a brutal, unnatural sleep.

**{Zuko} ATTENTION! I REPEAT, YOU MUST READ THIS NOTE! YES, THIS IS A PART OF THE STORY AND THE PLOT SO IF YOU DON'T READ THIS YOU WILL BE MISSING OUT ON VITAL INFORMATION FOR THE FUTURE OF THIS STORY!**

**{Aang} Crap! What the monkeyfeathers are you doing? Sheesh, even I know that everyone hates caps . . . **

**{Zuko} What do you think? Getting their attention. A lot of people avoid these type of notes you know.**

**{Aang} Seriously? You mean we're addressing the viewers for nothing? Well, that's . . . that's . . . ergh!**

**{Zuko} Yep. I have to tell you though that this is basically 75% your fault.**

**{Aang} Oh right, blame the Avatar. Thank you so much, Zuko . . .**

**{Zuko} Yeah, yeah, let's just hurry up before people start to leave.**

**Hey, everyone. As Aang sarcastically mentioned earlier, it's been about four months. I'm sure you all are wondering why we decided to take such a lengthy hiatus. Trust me, it wasn't planned AT ALL. **

**To keep this simple, I'm going to give you all a minor plot point that should keep your interest. I think we already mentioned once that we were going to school, yes? Well, that's true, and no I'm not joking. This is part of the story.**

**{Aang} To start off, besides the nasty writer's block I was having towards the middle of this chapter, me and Zuko were taking entrance exams for this college. We have no idea if we passed them yet, but the tests themselves created a lot of stress and time constraints. **

**{Zuko} Yeah, it wasn't fun. I'll end it at that.**

**Anyway, when we finally got done with that, our computer basically decided to take a piss and not work for about . . . two weeks?**

**{Aang} Yep.**

**{Zuko} Right . . . okay, and here's the final thing. It's going to sound crazy, but you'll have to deal with me here for a moment.**

**Me and Aang still don't know how to write in English. Yeah, we still use kanji, or for those of you more technically challenged, Chinese. **

**So yeah, one of the main classes Aang and I will be taking will be a boatload of English. So, this sort of explains why we have . . . uh, typos and stuff. We've been using a google browser most of the time and random dictionaries. It's been quite tedious actually.**

**{Aang} You guys have no freakin' idea how hard this is! Do you realize how frustrating it is when you know you're saying something right, but then you write it out or type it and it looks like just . . . completely different than what you're saying?! I mean, seriously! How can anyone speak English all the time, but not write English-**

**{Zuko} Aang, just stop. Stop right there. They don't want to hear a rant, they're angry enough as it is.**

**Ahem. Anyway, much thanks goes to Xx Senshi of Ankoku xX, Twin Masks, LinkGirl101, Tonight's The Night, CreCra, and Alexandra989. Your reviews for the last chapter have helped us tremendously, thanks for the support.**

**And thank you everyone else for the favorites and alerts. We've actually managed to hit over 9,000 hits now. I can't tell you how much this means to both of us, seriously.**

**{Aang} Thank you all for your patience. It's summer, so we will do our best to update more . . . and translate better.**

**We hope you enjoyed reading, have a great weekend regardless.**

**{Zuko} Oh, and before I forget, we currently have this story under a specific pename. Don't be surprised if the pename changes soon, just saying.**

**{Aang} Alright, good. Now, time to edit!**

**{Zuko} Oh joy.**

**{Aang} I call the first half! Now, where is that stupid dictionary . . .**


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